


On A Silver Platter

by kittysundae



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 7th Year AU, Adoption, Aftermath, Caring Snape, Depression, F/M, Misunderstandings, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-04-19 00:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 19
Words: 37,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4725506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittysundae/pseuds/kittysundae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione's pregnant story, but here's the twist, no one believes she was raped. Cast out into the street, and worse EXPELLED. Hermione is barely surviving. But what happens when someone finds out the truth? Read the one by A Perfect Lie first. A continuation of the abandoned story. Please Read and Review :) NEEDS A NEW BETA. Pairing not decided yet. I will never abandon a story because I hate when people do that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Family is Always There, Right?

Disclaimer: The Harrypotterverse belongs to the marvelous J.K. Rowling and her associates.  
A/N: Just getting all of this out of the way. This story is Severus Snape/ Hermione Granger. Yes, there will be a student/teacher relationship. If you can't handle that, I suggest you leave. Hermione's 17 at the beginning of the story, which is in August. Her birthday is September 19th, so I do not expect anything to happen between them before then.  
Yes, there is mention of rape here. Nothing graphic, so you won't need to worry about that.  
Well...enjoy!  
________________________________________  
Tears welled up in her honey brown eyes. "Bloody hell," she whispered. She stared at the plastic Muggle contraption. Suddenly angry, she flung it at the wall, where it broke in two.  
But breaking the evidence didn't make the fact any less true. She was pregnant.  
Hermione Granger, who had recently gotten her letter confirming her new status as Head Girl, was pregnant at seventeen.  
Her cheeks suddenly wet, her body visibly shaking. Everything...everything was done for. How could she go on? Her future was nothing now. She could forget being Head Girl. Hell, she'd be lucky if she finished school.  
It was August, and Hermione was in her parent's house. They were downstairs, without a clue. By Hermione's estimation, she was about two months pregnant, give or take a week or two.  
Any thought of abortion was quickly dashed from her mind. After three weeks, the baby formed a magical connection with the mother. One that if severed before birth would cause the death of both the mother and child. Not that she would have done it anyway; she was never one to support abortion. It wasn't the baby's fault it was conceived.  
Not that it was her fault either.  
________________________________________  
It was the end of August, the summer was almost over save two weeks, and currently Hermione was sitting at the kitchen table with her parents.  
"Say that again?" her father asked in a dangerous voice.  
"I'm pregnant," Hermione said softly. She didn't know how to explain this. How could she? Her parents were brick walls as far as she was concerned.  
"I knew it!" her mother screeched, pushing her chair back from the table. She stood up, pacing frantically across the linoleum tiles. "I knew this would happen. Didn't I tell you just last week, Frank? I told you about that boy."  
"What boy?" Hermione's eyes flashed. If they were talking about whom she thought they were...  
"Tom something-or-other. The one you're always hanging around with," her mother said, in a rather whiney voice.  
"Tom? Good god, no," Hermione said, before she could think about it.  
"The who Hermione. God damn it who?" her father asked angrily, his fist clenched on the table.  
"It was...it was...no one," Hermione said in a small voice. What a perfect time for her wits to leave her. She could barely think straight. This wasn't happening.  
Hermione shut her eyes tightly, hoping this would be gone when she opened them.  
"Surely you don't expect us to believe this was an immaculate conception?" her mother said snidely.  
"You don't know do you? How many have there been, Hermione?" her father said, his voice rising with every word. "How many?"  
The words swirled around in Hermione's head; they were attacking her from every possible angle. She had to tell them...  
"I was raped! I was raped, alright? There were no men, there was nothing. Just a cold floor and a dark face," she exclaimed, sobbing. "I can't remember!"  
Hermione's mother paled slightly, but her father replied, "You were raped? You expect us to believe that? How stupid do you think we are? It's obvious that you're lying to save yourself."  
"I was." Hermione choked, it was all she could say.  
"You expect me, to believe that you, a witch, let herself get raped? No. Not possible," He said, almost calmly. "Your magic would have saved you."  
"The least you could do for us is tell the truth, Hermione," Her mother snapped. "The very least."  
"But I am! This is the bloody truth!" Hermione all but wailed. Why weren't they listening? She never lied to the before, why would she now. Why weren't her parents supporting her? Why, damn it!  
He stood up, and turned so he wasn't facing Hermione. "I want you out of my house."  
"Daddy, please, no...I..." Hermione pleaded.  
"I said 'Out'! Get your things and go!" he yelled, walking over to the other side of the kitchen where Hermione's mother was standing stiffly.  
"Where am I supposed to go?" Hermione asked shakily.  
"Not my problem anymore," he replied, in an indifferent voice.  
Hermione got up silently, leaving the kitchen without saying a word. She went into the living room, looking at the family pictures and wishing she could smash them all to bits. She had told the truth. But she had already known they wouldn't believe her. Deep down, she knew that the rift between them had grown, and now, they finally had their excuse to get her out of their lives forever.  
When had it started? Was it when she started Hogwarts? Or when they finally realized that she would never be able to be the daughter that they were promised. That they believed that they were entitled.  
She used to be her parents' pride, when it came to anything, she excelled. They had thought that her magic was just a phase; that she'd grow out of it. But she hadn't. And look where it had gotten her.  
"Hermione?" A light voice came from one of the couches. Her younger sister, who was about 10 years old, was sitting on the couch. She looked quite a bit like Hermione, same petite figure and honey brown eyes. Her hair, while still rather voluminous, was not quite as bushy and was darker brown than Hermione's.  
"What do you want, Abby?" Hermione answered sullenly, hiccuping once or twice.  
"What happened? Mum and Dad wouldn't say anything to me..."  
Hermione cut her off. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll hear all about it soon enough." She walked towards the hall. "Goodbye, Abby," she mumbled, as a final farewell. She probably would never see her little sister again.


	2. In Which Things Get Worse

2\. In which things get worse

Disclaimer: Still not mine. I know, it's a travesty, but what can I do? It all belongs to J.K. Rowling, except for the plot.

The Knight Bus had dropped her off in front of the gates to Hogwarts. She had considered going to the Burrow or to perhaps Grimmauld Place, but she needed to speak to Professor Dumbledore.

It was a fairly long drive to Hogwarts, as there were many passengers before her. Many had children with them, some that Hermione vaguely recognized from school. She had a long time to think about recent events and she took full advantage of it.

Her parents' eagerness to be rid of her hurt, more than Hermione ever imagined it would. She never really understood her parents they were always slightly off. Overachievers would be a nice way to put it. Psychopathic workaholics would be a more honest way. They believed in being the best they could, and they also thought that everyone else should too.

Hermione was their pride and joy, the epitome of the perfect daughter. She got wonderful grades, did what she was told, helped out around the house; everything a parent could want from their child. But that all ended when Hermione got her letter.

Then she was simply an oddity that her parents put up with, they drifted apart to the point where Hermione had no idea who her parents really were anymore. Her sister Abby, who had previously been in the background of the family, was now their parents' sole concern.

Hermione sighed. What was she going to do now? She had no money, so where to go... This was her only chance, really. No. There was no use in thinking this way. It didn't serve any productive purpose. Of course Dumbledore would help her.

She walked through the gates, dragging her trunk behind her. It wasn't heavy; she'd put a feather light charm on it. Yeah, it probably went against the restrictions on underage magic, but hell, she was a pregnant woman and she wasn't about to drag her heavy trunk up all of those steps unaided.

She finally reached the large double doors of the castle and slowly opened one.

The Entrance Hall was rather dark, streams of light poured in from the high windows but just didn't penetrate into all of the dark corners and crevices. She left her trunk inside by the doors. As much as she didn't want to make extra work for the house elves, she couldn't carry around the trunk much longer. The charm was beginning to wear off anyway, and she needed to speak with the Professor immediately.

She walked through the still halls. It seemed so unearthly, the school being so quiet. It didn't feel like Hogwarts at all.

Finally she reached the stone gargoyle. She stood there a moment, internally going over what she was going to say to Professor Dumbledore.

Then, after thinking a moment, she of course realized that she hadn't the slightest clue what the password was.

But, in the end it was inconsequential as at that very moment, Albus Dumbledore waltzed down the hallway in all his purple-robed glory.

The headmaster inclined his head slightly in Hermione's direction. "Good Afternoon, Miss Granger."

"Hello, Professor. I...erm...that is to say I..." Hermione started but was stopped by Dumbledore's hand.

"Let's go up to my office." he said, then he mumbled the password to the gargoyle, low enough that Hermione couldn't hear.

The gargoyle hopped aside and both of the climbed the spiral stairs that led to Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster strode over to his desk and sat down, his gait showing no signs of aging. He gestured for Hermione to take a seat, which she did.

As Hermione settled into her chair, she found herself under the scrutinizing gaze of one Albus Dumbledore. Hermione felt the knot in her stomach get tighter. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't even twinkling, for Merlin's sake.

Dumbledore took a deep breath, "Miss Granger, I received a letter from your parents this morning."

Hermione's eyes widened. This wasn't a good thing. It was more than enough to make her regret getting them that owl last holiday.

"It was a shocking read, to say the very least." Dumbledore continued, "I expected more from you. Much more." Disappointment dripped from every word.

"But Professor, It isn't as they say. I was-" Hermione argued, trying to force some reason into the grandfather-like figure in front of her.

"Yes, yes. I've heard all about it. Miss Granger, I do believe that it's time for you to take responsibility for your actions. Lying won't get you anywhere." the Headmaster chastised her.

Hermione looked incredulously at Dumbledore. "You mean, you don't believe me?" she choked out.

"Miss Granger, there is no evidence to support your "story"." Dumbledore replied.

"I'll use a pensive, Veritaserum, anything. Just let me prove it!" Hermione exclaimed, lifting out of her seat.

"Miss Granger!" Dumbledore said sharply. "Please sit. Those measures would take time to get Ministry permission for, if they would even consent to allowing it, which is unlikely. As you well know."

And Hermione did know. Hermione knew she was royally screwed, no pun intended. Tears stung her eyes and her face became a picture of dismay. "Professor, isn't there something to be done?" she pleaded.

I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry in front of Albus Dumbledore.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Dumbledore said softly, as if preparing her for a blow. "The Board of Governors have already decided."

"Wwhat...?" Hermione asked shakily.

"I'm afraid I'll need your wand." Dumbledore said, holding out a wrinkled hand. His eyes looked apologetic, if anything.

But apologies wouldn't help her.

Hermione rubbed her wand, which was in her pocket. "But why?" Hermione asked. She knew, more or less. She just wanted to stall.

"Miss Granger, teenage pregnancy is highly frowned upon in the Wizarding world. With the use of potions and charms, it's not a common thing." Dumbledore said sternly. "I'm surprised that you did not think to use such methods before it got to...this point."

Hermione's eyes glazed over unnaturally. Harry. Ron. Magic. Her life. All gone in an instant.

"Miss Granger?" A voice broke into her internal reverie. "I still require your wand."

Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket. 10 and 3/4 inches. Vinewood with a Dragon Heartstring Core. And in a few moments, in pieces.

With shaking hands, she gave her wand to Albus Dumbledore. Another apologetic look was thrown her way, and then, in one swift movement he snapped it over his knee.

It was the final bit. No longer able to hold back her tears, she leaned her forearms onto her knees, shaking silently with sobs. Her tears splattered onto the floor.

"What will I do now?" Hermione said despairingly, to herself more than anyone.

"I daresay you should go back to that Tom fellow." Dumbledore replied in a light tone.

Hermione looked up from the floor, directly into those irritatingly blue eyes. How could he do this to her? Anger bubbled up unbidden.

"I believe it's time for you to leave, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, and it was more of a command than a request.

Hermione stood up, taking uneven breaths. She turned, and ran out of the office. Ran away from Dumbledore and his empty promises of protection, those infuriating morals of his, and those damn twinkling eyes.

A/N: Changed the second chapter for you, explains Hermione's parents a bit better.


	3. A Nasty Letter Leads to Revelations

A nasty letter leads to revelations  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all other characters, excluding Abby Granger, belong to the wonderful and exalted J.K. Rowling and her associates.  
________________________________________  
12 Grimmauld Place hadn't changed much over the years. It was still the same, creepy, eerily dank place that it had been the day of Sirius' death.  
And of course, as it had been for years, it was still the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, which was currently finishing up a meeting.  
They were sat at the large table that took up much of the dining room, and the armchairs the littered the sides of the rooms.  
The meeting was just an obligatory update, nothing really was said that they hadn't heard before. Harry and Ron, who had finally been allowed into the lesser meetings, seeing as they found out what was going on in them anyway, were sitting next to each other, talking.  
"Have you owled Hermione lately?" asked Harry, propping his head onto his hands, leaning onto the table.  
Ron frowned. "Meant to, honestly! But with everything going on it's hard to find the time." he said defensively.  
"I'm not blaming you or anything, Ron. It's just that something's not right." Harry said tentatively.  
"Whatcha mean? She's probably just busy she said she would be. That's why she didn't come to Grimmauld Place with us." Ron replied.  
Harry shook his head. "It's not even that. I sent a letter to her 2 days ago, you remember?" said Harry.  
Ron nodded, a confused look on his freckled face. "I got a letter back this morning," Harry pulled the letter in question out of his pocket. "It's from Hermione's mum and dad. And it's not very nice. I thought I'd show it to Dumbledore."  
"What’s it say?" Ron asked, looking at the innocent looking letter in Harry's hand.  
"More or less that Hermione doesn't live there anymore and as far as they're concerned she's dead to them." Harry grimaced. "I'm worried. Why hasn't she shown up here or the Burrow if something's happened?"  
Ron looked dumbstruck. "How could Hermione's parents do that to her?"  
"That's what I'd like to know." Harry said, getting up from the bench. He motioned to Ron, who stood up and well. Together, they made their way across the cluttered room. Many people had left since the meeting had ended, but it was still littered with chairs and people.  
"Professor?" Harry asked, making his way over to where Dumbledore sat.  
"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore answered, a small smile on his thin and worn lips.  
"Uh...I think something's wrong with Hermione. We haven't been able to contact her and when we tried we got back a rather nasty letter from her parents." Harry said, sticking his hands into his pockets. Ron nodded next to him, not having anything to add.  
Dumbledore sighed wearily. "I'm sorry."  
Alarm flashed in Harry's eyes, which was quickly recognized by Dumbledore. A million and one thoughts were flying through Harry's mind. What on earth had happened?  
"Please, sit, both of you." Dumbledore said, and a few people slid over on the bench to give them room.  
The Headmaster waited while the boys took their seats. When they had, they stared at Professor Dumbledore expectantly.  
"Hermione will not be returning to Hogwarts this September." Dumbledore began, taking care of the way he worded his sentences.  
"What? Why won't she be?" Ron blurted out. His expressive eyes were teeming with concern for his friend.  
"She'll well, I assure you. Well, as healthy as one can be under the circumstances." The Headmaster said, deliberately evasive.  
"Circumstances?" asked Harry simply.  
"I'm afraid that Miss Granger became with child during the summer holidays." Dumbledore said regretfully.  
The boys gaped at him. Ron kept opening his mouth to say something, but every time he did, the words refused to come out. Harry stared incredulously at the Headmaster, his eyes taking on a strange glazed expression.  
Finally, Harry regained enough sense to say incredulously, "You can't be serious?!"  
But Dumbledore's expression was deadly serious. “No, there was no mistake here. With the information at least.”  
"But...but...Hermione...she would never..." Harry rambled, still trying to process the information.  
"I'm inclined to agree with you Harry, but there's nothing to be done for it now." The Headmaster said.  
"She came yesterday to Hogwarts, her family apparently kicked her out. Just before her arrival, I received a letter from her parents, explaining the situation. They wrote that Miss Granger was pregnant by her boyfriend, Tom I believe his name was, and that she was no longer her responsibility. They also mentioned that Hermione seemed to protest that she was raped, and that she had not had other relations."  
"Hermione was raped?!" Ron exclaimed, drawing the attention from the others in the room.  
"I cannot say if it's true or not. It's unlikely, though." Dumbledore replied calmly. "Either way, the result would have been the same. I was forced to expel her."  
"What? But...that's completely unfair Professor!" Harry argued, beginning to get angry. not exactly at Dumbledore, but at the world in general. How could fate be so cruel as to rip his best friend from him?  
"Harry, I had no choice. As it is, I'm under Ministry surveillance. I can't afford to go against policy at this point. We can't fight both Voldemort and the Ministry." The Headmaster reasoned.  
They sat in silence for a few moments, each of them absorbed in their thoughts. None of them made eye contact, they stared at inconspicuous spots on the wall as if they were the most interesting sights in the world.  
Eventually, one of them spoke.  
"It makes sense dunnit?" Ron mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.  
Harry shifted his gaze to his red-haired friend. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"  
"Hermione. She said she'd be very busy all summer, though she never said with what. She must have been with her boyfriend." Ron said in a distant tone.  
"I suppose." Harry said slowly. "I just hope he's taking care of her."  
"I'm sure of it." Dumbledore said. He was back to twinkling again.  
________________________________________  
Well, that certainly explains a lot, thought a certain dark haired, sallow skinned, not-so-nice professor from his Victorian style armchair on the side of the room.  
He had seen the girl as she was leaving. She was in a fury as she tore across the hall; her hair unruly, a scowl set upon her face. Not that remarkable when it came to Miss Granger though, she had developed a bit of a temper as she grew older. But what had piqued his curiosity was the trails of tears that were on her face. Severus was hard pressed to remember a time when he had seen Miss Granger cry.  
No wonder she was in such a state. He almost felt sorry for the girl. Almost. If it weren't for the fact that this was a mess of her own doing, he might have appealed to Dumbledore. Not himself of course, but he would have convinced Minerva or someone else to do it.  
All in all, it was a real shame.  
________________________________________  
A/N:Ahhh feels good to get this bit done. Kinda just a transition chapter. ::shrug::  
Alright, I'm putting out an official request here. I'd like a beta, and if someone here could give me a hand it would be much appreciated. Let me know in a review, or PM me if you're interested.  
R/R.


	4. Sure I've Got Somewhere to Go

Sure, I've got somewhere to go  
Disclaimer: As much as I wish it were, Harry Potter is not mine. Nor is Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, or any of the others.  
A/N: Thanks everyone for reviewing, and thanks to the marvelous Alison for helping me out with this.  
________________________________________  
Hermione had been sleeping rather nicely, given the environment, until a sharp poking in her side rudely awakened her.  
"Get up." Another poke, this time accompanied by a shake. "I said get up, you. Yah canna sleep 'ere."  
She flopped over groggily, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to focus. A burly man who was not much taller than herself, was leaning menacingly over her. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her face. It felt rather good, considering she was freezing.  
"C'mon you. That park is naught a place for a young'un like yerself tah be stayin'." He said in his thick accent.  
Slowly Hermione sat up, her joints feeling achy from the late night chill. She frowned at the man. He might mean well, but she didn't want his help. He couldn't help her.  
The look on the man's face was priceless as she watched him recognize her   
condition. It started out as confusion, then sudden understanding, and then lastly, shock.  
"What's a small thing like you doin' out here this time of day? And tha way you're dressed at that. C'mon now, I'll be takin' yah off to safety." the man, a police officer from his uniform, said to Hermione.  
Hermione shook her head. She'd been down this road before. It was a dead end and a waste of time. "No, thanks." she mumbled, her hair falling into her face as she stared at the ground.  
"Wha d'yah mean, no thanks? Listen here miss, there's no way I can be letting yah stay out here by yerself. Let's get goin' before somethin happens to yah." The officer argued.  
"I'm sorry. I can't." Hermione said softly. "Just leave me alone."  
"Yah can't, miss? Wha's tha problem?" the officer asked, concerned. He took a step back to get a good look at Hermione.  
She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Her lips were chapped and cracked, and her hair a horrible mess. She   
was too thin, though not as thin as you'd think, considering that she was pregnant. She had no jacket, just a blanket wrapped around her shoulders that seemed too worn and thin to provide any warmth.  
Hermione looked at him despairingly. "Look, it's not that difficult. I don't want your help. Just go away and leave me be."  
The officer crossed his thick arms resolutely. "If yah won't come with me now, I'll be havin' tah call in fer backup to take you in. Whether you like it or not, young miss."  
Slight alarm flew though Hermione's eyes. There was no way she was going through this. She hesitated for a moment, and then stood up in a stately manner, looking all for she was the Queen of England, just without the royal jewels.  
The man smiled at her. "Now that's more like it miss." Hermione nodded slowly to him. "This way then." He took the lead, taking a brisk pace through the path that lead out of the park. Hermione followed behind at a slower gait, taking her own good time in getting there.  
The officer was already getting far ahead of her, and Hermione sensed   
chance. She had never been that good of a runner before, what with all the time she had spent indoors reading. It was really amazing the things one can do once they had incentive.  
She flew in the opposite direction, not bothering to stay on the beaten path. The officer finally noticed she was not behind him like he had thought, and did a quick 360, spinning around trying to see where she had gone.  
Hermione ran through the small woods, which were a mere garden compared to the forbidden forest. She didn't care where she was going, so long as it was away.  
She could hear the wheezing and puffs of the officer behind her, and she knew that the chances of her getting caught were slim. But, just to be safe, when she saw the exit of the park, she took it.  
Down the street she ran, dodging people, animals, cars, and other irritating things. She practically ran into a pair of tall, hefty men. Or at least she thought she did. She never really stopped long enough to see.  
Hermione finally stopped two blocks away from the park, panting against   
her   
a white stone building. She pushed some sweaty hair off of her forehead and thanked Merlin that she had managed to get out of that.  
She made the mistake of going to social services after her ordeal with Dumbledore. Bad idea. She didn't, and still doesn't exist in the muggle world. Her new world.  
The lady at the woman's shelter was practically screaming in frustration when she had turned up there, hoping for a place to stay at least until the baby was born. It was impossible for her to get a job and live on her own at this point. What employer would want to hire a pregnant woman?  
So she avoided the authorities. Only six...seven months to go. She could be fine, really. Hermione managed a few odd jobs. Delivering groceries, babysitting...but it was few and far in between.  
When had fate decided that she needed to be punished?  
________________________________________  
This was what happened when you let other people finish things.  
He really shouldn't have been surprised when he saw her again. Alive, that is. More than alive, she was pregnant. Undoubtably with his child.  
This was nothing short of a travesty, a crime against nature. This...tainted being would never be allowed to see the light of day. Not if he had anything to do with it.  
He and his associate, Andrei Boyka, walked discreetly through the crowds, blending in rather nicely. Hermione didn't seem to notice how much attention she had drawn to herself in her escape from the officer, and she certainly wasn't paying attention to her surroundings at the moment.  
They made their way over to a bus stop where several people had congregated. Viktor's dark eyes narrowed as they found their target. She was across the street, leaning against a white building, and obviously tired from her earlier exertion.  
He signaled to Andrei with a curt nod of his head, and they proceeded to cross the street. Hermione looked up, her hair sweaty and limp, and her eyes widened as she spotted him. He could see in her eyes that she was formulating a way to get as far away from him as she could.  
However any effort on her part would be futile, as Victor Krum could afford no mistakes this time.  
________________________________________  
A/N: ::insert dramatic music here:: Nice of me to leave you on such a lovely cliff, right?  
R/R.


	5. Krummy

Krummy  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and most regrettably Severus Snape do not belong to me. I'm just messin' with 'em a bit. I, the writer, am making no profit from this.  
________________________________________  
Tangled up in his toffee colored bed sheets, Professor Severus Snape let out a groan. He glanced at the clock, which sat on the mantelpiece; it was 3 in the morning. It was an unusually late hour to be summoned, though who can claim that there was anything usual when dealing with a madman like Voldemort?  
He made his way out of bed, moving as fast as he could without the promise of coffee. He wore plain starched boxers and not much else. Contrary to popular belief, he did not live in the dungeons. His quarters were situated a level higher, above the Slytherin's den. A good layout, it made it easy to cast a quick spell through the floor and make sure nothing too illicit was going on down there.  
He pulled on his usual robes, black with small onyx buttons down the front. Then, he found his Death Eater robes. They were dark green; so much so that at times they looked black. The material was heavy, with a discreet pattern of skulls and intertwining snakes on it, not dissimilar to the symbol of the dark mark.  
He threw that on over his robes, and then slid into his usual heavy boots. He walked out of his chambers, grabbing his silver mask out of it's hidden compartment in his dresser, mentally preparing himself as he did.  
________________________________________  
One would imagine he would take the path down to Hogsmeade, or perhaps to the Forbidden Forest to apparate to his master's side, but no. Instead, the headmaster had provided him with an ingenious method of transportation.  
As Severus Snape held that soggy, fungus-laden sock of a portkey, he thanked Albus Dumbledore's supposed brilliance once again.  
With a slight tug and a sudden stop, he found himself on familiar ground. Yes, it looked vaguely familiar. But why it did, Snape couldn't place.  
He took his place among his Death Eater brethren. The air was cool, fresh with the smell of fallen leaves and the sharp tang that signified the coming of winter. There weren't as many here as there were before, Severus noted. Their numbers had either dwindled, or the Dark Lord was up to something.  
The Dark Lord, ever the dramatic, stood at the center, and all eyes were fixed upon him. To break eye contact was to ask for pain. And pain you would get.  
"Krum!" he barked, taking a step to the side so that he was slightly off center. "Get over here."  
The circle broke almost directly across from Snape. A stalwart figure entered through the space provided, while another shorter man followed. The second man dragged a something, or more likely, someone, behind him.  
"You said you had a matter to discuss?" the Dark Lord hissed, his eyes darting to the petite figure on the moist ground.  
"Yes, Lord. Vat is Herm-own-ninny Granger. I'm sure you remember her." Krum answered. He stood proudly, his hands clasped firmly behind his back and his face held high, not looking at the ground as many of his contemporaries were.  
Hermione lay bloodied and bruised on the spongy ground. From what Snape could see in the moonlight, she had a black eye and a gash on her arm that she clutched in an effort to stop the bleeding. When she moved, it was slowly and carefully. Severus was no healer, but he suspected that she had broken ribs or some other abdominal infliction.  
He frowned behind his mask, his mind working furiously to deduce what was going on. If Severus had learned one thing, it was that all Death Eaters had ulterior motives. But the question was; what was Krum's?  
The Dark Lord threw a glare at all three of the beings before him. "You are too presumptuous by far, Krum." he growled harshly. "But yes, I do know the mudblood. An old friend of yours, from what I hear."  
"You see Lord, it all started ven-" Krum began, only to be cut off but the Dark Lord's dulcet tones.  
"Krum! Get to the point before I lose what little patience I have left with you!" he spat warningly.  
Krum gave a polite bow of understanding. "Of course, my Lord. Basically, the whore is pregnant." It was funny how he could say that so politely. His English had obviously improved immensely.  
Again, Snape was left wondering why the hell they would care. There was a good chance the child would be a witch or wizard, that much was true, but the consequences of using newborn wizard blood far outweighed the benefits. Not even this lot was daft enough to try that.  
Red serpentine eyes narrowed in Krum's direction. "Explain." he commanded. An unnatural silence had come over the group. It was not often that such a situation had occurred, actually, Severus could not remember anything similar ever occurring. It had been a while since the Dark Lord had had new difficulties to deal with. It would be interesting to see how he handled this.  
"I used her for all she was worth and now ve haff this problem." Viktor Krum said haughtily. He talked as if he seemed himself above such petty explanations. "I'm sure vat you vould like to do is dispose of her. But perhaps there vould be some vay for you to use her?"  
"Use her?" the Dark Lord intoned slowly, his mood changing to dangerous irritation.  
At this point, everyone knew that Krum had crossed that invisible line which signified he had gone too far. Krum just assumed too much. Everything from his posture to his tone indicated that he thought himself of some importance. The man was just too proud, too arrogant to realize that he was not only making a complete fool out of himself, but also putting himself in danger.  
The Dark Lord started to take slow, even steps; circling Viktor as a vulture would his dinner. "What you fail to realize, Krum." he said his name with obvious disdain, "Is that you are here to be punished. Whatever scheme you might have planted in that little brain for yours is never going to save you."  
"I can see right through you, Krum. I always have." he rasped in low tones, not raising his voice. He wasn't about to raise his voice for his audience; if you wanted to listen then you had better pay attention.  
Definite fear flickered through Krum's eyes. His collected exterior flickered for a moment, and then was replaced by an expression of thick innocence. "All I vanted to do vas to serve you, Master!" he exclaimed, trying to seem guiltless but failing miserably. He was a man pleading for his life.  
"Do not think that I am to be fooled by such pitiful words!" the Dark Lord growled, "The only reason you were here was for yourself, and everyone here knows it. I will not tolerate such behavior."  
The Dark Lord raised his arm, his wand pointing directly at Krum. Krum's eyes had gone teary and his posture had slumped. He was the epitome of a man who had lost everything playing a game he didn't understand.  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
And Krum was dead.  
"Let that be a lesson to all of you." the Dark Lord said simply. He took a few steps away from the dead corpse that was one Viktor Krum.  
He frowned in Hermione's direction, where she was still lying crouched on the ground. "You there, bring the mudblood forward." The Dark Lord motioned to Krum's associate, who did as he was requested.  
"So, here we have the infamous Hermione Granger."  
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	6. Raindrops on Roses

Raindrops on Roses  
Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Harry Potter. And while I'm at it, I also own Big Bird, the letters Q R and J, and for some odd reason, Canada. Right.  
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"So, here we have the infamous Hermione Granger." the Dark Lord murmured with a disconcerting smirk.  
Hermione had been half-dragged, half-thrust, before the Dark Lord's feet. She was on her knees, relying on her arms to keep her upright. Her body shook with short breaths. She lifted her chin as far as she could, barely able to look into the eyes of the Dark Lord.  
"Of course I know who you are, you mudblood. Or did you think I was ignorant?" the Dark Lord answered Hermione's unspoken question. She lowered her eyes barely, just for a second, though the gesture did not go unnoticed.  
The Dark Lord gave a short noise, almost like a snort, which sounded oddly triumphant. Triumph over what though, had yet to be seen.  
Suddenly there was a rustle of robes, and there was a wand situated between Hermione's brown eyes. She whimpered slightly, though didn't move otherwise.  
A rattling breath was heard, and it was obvious what the Dark Lord was about to do.  
Oh, how his self-control had failed him now. Severus stepped forward, breaking the circle. "My Lord!" he called.  
Slowly, the Dark Lord turned, keeping his wand in place. He let out the breath and frowned. "This had better be good, Snape!" he snarled crossly.  
"Excuse my interruption, My Lord." Severus said reverently. His eyes flickered quickly to where Hermione was; but as he had his mask on, no one could see. "But have you considered all options for her?"  
"I have about as much patience for your schemes as I did for Krum's, Snape." the Dark Lord growled, his crimson eyes narrowed to slits.  
"My apologies, My Lord. Of course, you are right. She'd be better off dead." Snape said flatly, and took a step back.  
The frown on the Dark Lord's face deepened. He knew Snape had lied to him and that he didn't truly believe that killing the girl would be the right course of action. "You have 2 minutes to convince me to do otherwise." he glared at Severus.  
Snape took a quick step forward, his long legs glided over the grass. "Thank you. My Lord." said Snape.  
"To start with, she's pregnant. Forgive me for saying the obvious here, but isn't there a way to turn that to our, nay, your advantage? The child would be a half blood, which is enough. Krum might have been a complete idiot," Snape sneered at this point, "but he was as pureblooded as any of us here. And it would be powerful, with her as a mother. You've heard the reports about her, she's practically a prodigy." Oh, how he wished he didn't have to give such compliments in this context.  
The Dark Lord inspected his words with interest. He was intrigued, Severus could tell, but not convinced.  
Another cloaked figure stepped forward. "If I may, m'lord?" a male voice carried across, with an aristocratic sound to it. The Dark Lord gave a sharp nod in his direction.  
"The girl is one of Potter's closest friends. Do you not think he'll come after her? And when he does, m'lord, it would only be too easy for you to dispose of him."  
Now that caught the Dark Lord's attention. He stood silent for a moment, turning the ideas over in his head. Finally, he spoke. "Your idea is acceptable, Hutton." the Dark Lord said to the other man.  
Hutton. Why did that sound so familiar?  
The Dark Lord moved his wand away from its point between Hermione's eyes. He scowled at her, then brandished a hand in her direction, and magical ropes tied themselves firmly around her hands and feet. Hermione opened her mouth, which was cracked and covered with spots of dried blood, but no sound came out. Snape's eyes narrowed.  
"Mulciber!" the Dark Lord barked.  
A man broke the ranks, his robes failing to hide the fact that he walked with a slight limp. It was a remnant from the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries, from what Severus was told. What was not so clear was exactly how he had gotten it, as he refused to say. He suspected that it was gotten through either his own stupidity, or one of the children.  
"Remove it from here, I can't stand the sight of it much longer. Keep a good eye on it." the Dark Lord instructed.  
"Yes, your lordship." Mulciber slurred as he took the rope between Hermione's hands and began to drag her out of the circle.  
Snape's legs were just itching to get up and follow him, but his common sense told him that was nothing less of suicide. Instead, he forced himself to wait. He couldn't save everyone, all the time.  
His anxiety must have shown because the Dark Lord turned to him. "One would think that you wanted to leave, Snape." he hissed slowly.  
Snape chose his next words carefully. "It is not a matter of want, sire. It's just that Dumbledore has become more suspicious of me, and being late to my classes would surely cause him to make unwelcome inquiries." It was a bit early for classes to start, though the sun was already rising. If the Dark Lord pried, he would simply say there was some sort of staff meeting he had to make.  
The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed, but he nodded his dismissal. "Then leave. I want a detailed report from you next time, Snape."  
"Of course, my Lord." Severus said, giving a slight bow and taking a step back before turning and walking away from the circle. His eyes scoped the area around him. Where had they gone?  
Surely they hadn't left, the Dark Lord hadn't said to take her away, just to move her for the time being. But then again, Mulciber wasn't exactly the sharpest tack in the box.  
He stood completely still. Was that a muffled snicker he just heard? He moved his head in the direction that he believed the sound had come from. Yes, there they were. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried.  
Severus strode over, planning the best way to go about this. Mulciber wasn't exactly strong, even less so with his physical incapacity, but he was fast with a wand. He was an Imperius curse specialist, and even now he taught new recruits the Unforgivables.  
Finally, he found what he was looking for. Mulciber was practically on top of Hermione, his head against her neck, no doubt whispering lurid things into her ear. He had one hand on her thigh, which was now removed of the pants she had been wearing earlier.  
Hermione was looking away, her eyes unfocused and her breathing uneven. While she was there physically, her eyes told that she was somewhere completely different.  
It wasn't so much what Mulciber was doing that surprised Snape, it was Hermione's reaction that did. She was a Gryffindor, and he himself on several occasions experienced her temper. She didn't seem like Hermione, all the fight had gone out of her.  
"Mulciber!" Snape said sharply, causing the man to jump in surprise.  
Mulciber turned around, one arm still draped on Hermione. "Oh, it's just you Severus." he said, with a degree of relief.  
Snape raised a solitary eyebrow at his acquaintance. "And what would you being doing?" Severus asked.  
"Nothin', just having a bit of fun." Mulciber smirked. "Want to join Snape? Plenty to go around."  
Severus sneered at him. "Do you really think that the Dark Lord would appreciate this behavior?"  
"I don't think he gives two galleons what I do with her." Mulciber said, the smirk fading quickly. "What're you doing here anyway?"  
Severus pulled his wand out of his sleeve and intoned "Stupefy!" in one fluid movement. Mulciber fell, sprawled on top of Hermione who tried to shift away.  
He pushed Mulciber off of Hermione, with obvious distaste at having to touch him. He aimed his wand at Mulciber once again and muttered "Obliviate." He didn't need any mistakes.  
"Miss Granger?" Severus turned his attention to the girl. He cut her bonds with a hand knife he took out of his boot. His frowned deepened when she did not move. "Miss Granger?" he asked again.  
She looked at him with unseeing eyes. They were still unfocused and dilated. Something was wrong. "Hermione, can you hear me?" he shook her lightly, trying to gain her attention but not hurt her. She blinked.  
Well that confirmed it; there was definitely something wrong with her. He didn't know if it was shock or something more intentional, but he intended to find out. He scooped Hermione into his arms, after discerning that it wouldn't do too much harm to any of her injuries. She didn't wince at all. Holding her close, he apparated away to the one place he knew where she could get help.


	7. One Eyed and Bushy Haired

One eyed and bushy haired  
Disclaimer: Not mine, never was, never shall be. Unless....::ponders murder::...uh...you didn't see that!  
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Somewhere safe turned to be 12 Grimmauld Place. Severus apparated onto the street outside of Grimmauld Place, not particularly caring if any muggles saw him. He couldn't do so inside the building, they had anti-apparition wards and the like to protect them. Though, it usually turned out to be more of a nuisance than a helpful security measure.  
As the house pushed itself back onto the street, Severus walked towards the front door, taking firm strides and holding Hermione close to himself. He entered the house and found it seemingly empty. The front hall was quiet, a nice change from the usual screaming of the portrait of Mrs. Black.  
He made a sharp left through an oak door, which lead into the study. There was a comfortable leather couch next to the fire that Severus was well acquainted with; he had accidentally fallen asleep there many times while reading. He gently laid Hermione down on it, taking care to rest her head on a pillow.  
Making sure she wasn't about to go anywhere, he left the study and went into the kitchen in search of the medicinal potions supply he usually kept there in case of emergencies. Severus scanned the room carefully, but did not see the trunk anywhere. Blast Molly and her cleaning!  
Severus started to rummage around in some of the cupboards, pushing various cutlery and kitchenware out of the way. It took him a few minutes, which was entirely too long in his opinion, but he finally found what he was looking for. He dragged the trunk over to the kitchen table and started pulling out various potions. He frowned down into the trunk. There wasn't as much as he thought there was.  
Taking the potions with him, he went back into the study. Hermione was where he had left her, either asleep or unconscious, Severus couldn't tell. He wanted to get her to Poppy, but that would have to wait. He needed to speak to Dumbledore first.  
But until then, he would have to make due with what he had. Lifting Hermione's head up, he tilted the first of many potions to her lips. She drank unknowingly; Severus stroked her throat to make sure the liquid went through.  
After a few more potions, her wounds were healed for the most part. There were a few internal ones that he couldn't fix at the moment, but she would survive. Now, he had to figure out what was wrong with her senses.  
From what he could figure out, Hermione couldn't speak, see, hear, or feel after she had been with Mulciber. Now, that in itself didn't make sense. There would have to be a potion for this kind of effect to occur and Mulciber couldn't brew a potion worth shit.  
So someone must have given him the potion. But who?  
Pushing such unhelpful questions out of his mind, Severus went back to the problem at hand. Hermione. He had with him a potion that restored hearing, as many curses had after-effects that caused hearing loss.  
He glanced warily at the potion, not sure if it would be a good idea to use it. He didn't want to cause a reaction with any other potions in her system. It was unlikely, but possible.  
But either way, Severus had to make a decision soon. He sighed inwardly. Why was it always him?  
Alright, so maybe it wasn't always him. But it sure seemed like it sometimes.  
Severus had had enough of this internal debate. He uncorked the vial, brought it to Hermione's lips, and wished for the best.  
He waited tentatively as the potion took effect. "Miss Granger?" he asked.  
Hermione jerked slightly, trying to discern where the sound was coming from. Her lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. Her eyes, which were a watery brown color, were unseeing.  
Her breath, which now came in short gasps, was decidedly panicked.  
"Miss Granger, relax. It's Professor Snape. Remember?" He tried to calm her, though he obviously wasn't very good at it. He was going for a soothing voice, but what had come out instead was more of a less than harsh command.  
She nodded sullenly a few times, though a look of confusion seemed to be permanently plastered to her delicate features.  
Severus wasn't quite sure what was going through her head, but then again, that wasn't his concern.  
"You're at headquarters. Something's been done to you. I have to go and brew some antidotes. Mulciber gave you something?" said Severus, straight to the point.  
Hermione looked like she was thinking hard. Severus recognized that look from his classes. Then Hermione nodded and shrugged.  
Well what was that supposed to mean? "Yes?" Severus asked again, trying to get a definite answer.  
The girl shrugged. "You don't know then?" he confirmed. Hermione nodded slightly, her matted hair falling into her face.  
Severus straightened and stood. "I'll be in the lab downstairs. I suggest you sleep and don't move. I doubt you'd get far." he instructed.  
Hermione complied and curled up into a more comfortable position on the couch. Severus frowned at her back. She didn't look well at all.  
Appeased for the moment, Severus turned and made his way into the basement to make the necessary potions.  
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Hermione lifted her head as she was awoken by the sounds of others outside the hallway. It was muffled, and the people making it were obviously trying to be quiet, as not to arouse Mrs. Black from her 'slumber'.  
"Severus must be here, that's his cloak," said a voice outside the door. It was decidedly feminine, which led Hermione to believe it was either Mrs. Weasley or perhaps Ms. Vance, whom she had the pleasure of meeting a while back.  
"One moment, let me just move this out of here. There's an infestation, and I don't want anything to get at it." The voice got louder, assumedly because the person was coming nearer.  
The handle of the door rattled, and Hermione felt herself grow a bit scared. She didn't want to have to deal with any of these people. She sat up a bit, leaning on the armrest. She could feel the couch there, but she would be at a loss to tell you if it were smooth or rough, warm, or cool. It was an odd to have such a thing that she normally took for granted just disappear.  
Someone thumped into the room and then stopped abruptly. She heard an intake of breath, and then the accusation, "Hermione? What on earth are you doing here?"  
Hermione had no doubt that it was Mrs. Weasley by this point. She could practically see Mrs. Weasely putting her hands on her hips and she said, "Well speak up then." She had seen her do it the boys often enough.  
But that was when everything was still alright.  
Unconsciously, Hermione licked her dry lips. Damn whatever curse. How could she communicate to Mrs. Weasley that she couldn't speak?  
"Hermione, I want an explanation right now. You aren't supposed to be here." A tone of annoyance crept into Mrs. Weasley's voice.  
Hermione made a gesture to her mouth, or at least she tried to. Her mouth was about three inches down from the spot where her hand collided with her eye.  
Mrs. Weasley gave her a confused look, but didn't think upon it any more as Moody came into the room. "Molly, what's taking you so long?" he said gruffly. "The others were concerned."  
"Oh, what's this here?" Moody peered at Hermione with both of his eyes. "Miss Granger, isn't it? I thought she had been expelled."  
"She was Moody." Mrs. Weasley confirmed. "I can't figure out for the life of me, why she's here."  
"You've asked?" Moody inquired, as if Hermione wasn't even in the room.  
"She refused to talk to me. I haven't gotten a word out of her." Mrs. Weasley said in a rather irritated voice.  
"Well then. Look here miss, there's no place for you here. I've heard all about what's happened, straight from Dumbledore himself." Moody said, turning his attention to Hermione.  
Hermione tried to angle her head in the direction that Moody's voice was coming from, but it was exceedingly difficult. "Can't even look me in the eyes, eh? Disgraceful." he growled. "Now come clean, what're you doing here?" Moody seemed to be slipping into 'Auror Interrogator Mode'.  
Hermione winced visibly from his words and opened her mouth, but no words would come out.  
Moody grunted and frowned in Hermione's direction. "I think we need to bring her into everyone else." Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Alright then, c'mon you." Moody ordered.  
Hermione didn't move for several reasons, one being that she couldn't see, and another that she didn't trust herself on her legs.  
Grabbing her arm, Moody hauled her up onto her feet, which wobbled under her weight. She tried to wrench out of his grasp and sit back down on the couch, but he had a firm grip.  
"Now go." Moody said, letting go of her arm and pushing slightly forward on her shoulder.  
Hermione took a halting step forward before her knees gave out and she crashed onto the floor. "Oh bloody hell," muttered Moody as he made to collect her off of the ground.  
She swatted his hand away, getting onto her hands and knees. Tears gathered in her eyes.  
The door opened and a few people came through. Remus Lupin; who was now living at Grimmauld Place, Mr. Weasley, Professor McGonagall, and last but not least, Professor Snape.  
Snape surveyed the scene before him with his dark eyes. "What in the name of Merlin is going on here?" he asked, glaring at Moody who was still trying to get Hermione up.  
"None of your concern, Snape." Moody said with irritation.  
"I daresay it is my concern." Severus said disdainfully. "I suggest you let go of her."  
Moody stood up, fixing Snape with a inquisitive look. "Or what'll happen?"  
Severus sneered at him. "I honestly don't have time for this. I have 5 different potions going on downstairs which can't be left alone."  
"Leave then. This isn't your business." Moody said gruffly. Severus merely fixed him with a glare that clearly meant 'Who are you to tell me so?'  
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "What I'd like to know, is what is Miss Granger doing here in the first place?"  
There was a moment in which no one spoke, as no one knew the answer. Except Severus of course. "I brought her here, Minerva."  
"You did?" McGonagall asked incredulously. "But why?"  
Severus pushed Mrs. Weasley out of his way and helped Hermione up onto the couch again. "Because I thought she'd be safe and welcome here. I obviously was mistaken." he frowned.  
"What are you talking about Snape?" Moody glared.  
"She's innocent. Her condition, as it were, is the byproduct of one Victor Krum, now deceased." Snape replied.  
Hermione kept her head down, her hair covering her face. Snape glanced at her and his frown deepened a bit. He took his cloak from Mrs. Weasley, who still had it in her arms, and draped it around Hermione's shoulders.  
"How does that make her innocent? She was seeing him." Professor McGonagall protested.  
"Do I have to spell it out for you? She was at the revel tonight. Krum dragged her there. I have no doubt that there was rape involved." Severus spat.  
His revelation was greeted by silence by the bystanders. "I found her drugged and beaten almost to death. As it is, she does not have the ability to speak, see, or feel. I suggest in the future you try not to be so hasty in your judgments."  
Severus turned his back on them, facing Hermione. Leaning down, he picked Hermione up as carefully as he could. He wasn't a strong man by far, but Hermione was so light that she wasn't hard to lift.  
He made towards the door, the group parting to grant him passage.  
"Where are you going?" Lupin asked.  
"Somewhere else. I fail to see how it is any concern of yours." Severus replied, not turning around to face him. He made to open the door but Lupin put his hand onto it, effectively causing it to remain shut.  
"Why are you doing this?" Lupin asked quietly.  
"Because no one else will." Severus said, pushing Lupin's hand aside and leaving a stunned group of people in his wake.


	8. What Now? Oh Right Hermione

What now? Oh, right Hermione  
Disclaimer: I'll sing you a song, a song of litigation. The litigation that I'm trying to avoid!  
This part of story was written after the 5th book came out. You could consider it AU if you want, or you could just read and enjoy the story without trying to make it fit perfectly, which no fanfic truly can do.  
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He assumed she was sleeping. After all, she had stopped sobbing into his chest, which was irreparably sodden by now.  
Severus laid Hermione gently down onto the thick coverlet, placing her head gingerly on the pillow and scowling as he eyed the purple and red bruises forming around her left eye.  
He had always liked this room, it had used to be his Great Aunt Margherita's. While she was still living, of course. It was rather pastel; lavender and blue, and one would argue that it was akin to his own antithesis. Nevertheless, the room invoked somewhat of a calm feeling within him.  
Straightening up again, he turned to make his way out of the room, leaving Hermione where she was. He figured he'd be back before she woke up.  
Halfway to the door, Severus heard a crash downstairs. Frowning, he took his wand out and carefully extricated himself from the room, warding the door on his way out. He slowly crept downstairs, going as slowly as he could while still making progress. Despite his best efforts, one of the boards squeaked and there was a sudden movement in the foyer below.  
"Snape!" a voice hissed. "I ought to kill you now and save myself the aggravation."  
Severus narrowed his eyes. "And here I thought you loved me, Lucius," he replied scathingly.  
Lucius loudly scoffed as Severus finished descending the stairs. "Is there a problem?" asked Severus in a low tone.  
"The Granger girl is gone," said Lucius while removing his hood.  
Severus' eyes flashed. "You mean Mulciber ran off with her?"  
Malfoy snorted lightly. "Don't be foolish. The man is a gimp. He wouldn't dare. Besides, he was obliviated. Barely knew his own name."  
Severus paused a moment, letting the silence grow heavy upon them. "Why are you here?"  
Lucius Malfoy's face took on a haughty look, as if his intelligence was being insulted. "I was sent here to see if you had the girl. After all, you did leave right before she was gone." He looked behind Severus, as if he would be hiding the girl there. "I should have a look around," Lucius' nostrils flared, "and worse, you look guilty."  
"Do I?" asked Severus, raising a solitary eyebrow.  
"You told the Dark Lord you were going to the school. Unless Hogwarts' new residence is your manor, I do believe you lied."  
Severus internally groaned at Lucius' attempt at wit. "Lucius, you know I don't like staying any longer than I have to," he soothed. "I never have. What makes this time any different from that?"  
Malfoy exhaled loudly in defeat. "Yes, I know. You should still get over to the school. I did tell the Dark Lord that you were very unlikely to have tried to save her, but he still insisted I go and look for you."  
Severus nodded, brushing an errant piece of hair out of his face. "I was heading over there presently. I just had to pick up a few things."  
"Yes, well..." Malfoy trailed off, shrugging slightly. "I hate having to cross examine my own brothers. Especially when there are so many more useful things to be doing. Whatever happened to trust?"  
The side of Severus' mouth turned upwards slightly. "I do believe that any trust that we had, dissipated when the Dark Lord was fallen."  
"Too right," the blond man mumbled in response. Looking around he continued, "I must be going. Damn Mulciber for making things difficult. If he had just done what he was supposed to..."  
"I don't doubt that he has been properly punished," Snape replied with a wry look. "Good luck finding her."  
"I'll need it," said Malfoy as he walked over to the fireplace. Taking a handful of powder, he lit the fire and went in, disappearing in green smoke.  
Rubbing his temples, Severus continued to make his way down to the laboratory. He was down to his last reserves of patience, there was nothing like a meeting with Lucius Malfoy to make him want to beat his head against a stonewall in frustration. But as much as he didn't feel up to making these potions, he couldn't very well leave Hermione in her current state.  
Trudging down another slimmer pair of steps, he finally arrived in his basement lab. As much as his manor looked as if it should contain a dungeon, it didn't. Just a rather small basement that Severus had renovated years ago during the brief period in his life when he thought wanted to live here.  
Taking a quick inventory, he saw that everything seemed to be in its place, although covered in a fine layer of dust. Taking off his cloak, he tossed it absentmindedly onto a nearby table, colliding with a set of vials that clinked angrily at the intrusion. His forehead scrunching up minutely, Severus made his way over to the lab table and gently pulled his cloak up.  
Underneath lay a container of vials, each carefully placed in a wire holder. Attached to the container was a note written in lopsided cursive. A note from one R.J. Lupin.  
S-  
I finished the potions. Figured you wouldn't want to start over again. Hope everything goes well.  
R.J. Lupin.  
Severus frowned lightly, his face turning into a bit of a grimace. Lupin was never a particularly good brewer and that last sentence was particularly foreboding. He picked the container up by the handle at the top, holding it at eye level. All the vials seemed to be correct; they were even labeled in that same lopsided cursive. Satisfied with them, he made his way back up to the lavender room to Hermione Granger.  
Just as he had thought, Hermione was still passed out cold. He checked his watch quickly, it read 5 am. He didn't have much time. He had to get back to Hogwarts; he couldn't afford to be absent from breakfast.  
Carefully extracting the first vial from its holder, Severus brought the first vial to Hermione's lips. She didn't wake, so Severus shook her gently. Mumbling to herself, Hermione woke, moving slowly with obvious pain. Her eyes opened, but there was no expression behind them. They were dull, without their normal inquisitive gleam.  
Hermione's face twisted as she struggled to sit, confused by her awakening. "Shh...I've got the potions. Open your mouth and drink," Severus attempted to soothe. He felt like a sap, but he figured that if there was anyone he was going to be sappy with, it might as well be her. Wasn't as if she could tell anyone. For the moment, at least.  
Hermione downed the vial in two smooth gulps. When she had finished, Severus procured the next one and the process continued until all the vials were done with. Pushing her hair off of her forehead, Severus laid Hermione back onto the bed.  
"I have to go," he said shortly, though not without a bit of apprehension. She should really be seen by a mediwitch, after all she was with child. He wasn't qualified to evaluate her; he had barely passed the medical section of his classes when he was going for his master's. He could brew like no one else but when it came to dealing with others, he was miserable at it.  
"You should be alright in an hour or two," Severus continued as he snapped his fingers, a house elf appearing at his side.  
Hermione hadn't moved.  
Severus narrowed his eyes in Hermione's direction, scrutinizing her. She was still breathing, which of course, was a good sign. He watched as she slowly shook her head. She looked...well...scared. Like she didn't want him to go.  
Somehow, her hand found his and squeezed it in a vice-like grip. Severus found himself at a loss, wondering if she was in some kind of pain. "Hermione, I mean, yes, you see..." Severus stumbled over his words. He was going to leave her with a house elf, but he had doubts about doing that from the start, and now there was no way he could.  
Severus grasped Hermione's hand back and sighed as he ran his thumb over the back of it. He didn't ask to be put in this position, but now that he had, he was going to do all that he could.  
Pulling Hermione back into his arms, which was becoming oddly familiar; Severus went over to the fire grate and flooed into his Hogwarts chambers.


	9. Chapter 9

I arrived at my chambers with Hermione in my arms. Before I did anything else, I headed straight to my bedroom and set her down gently on my bed. I called for Dobby and instructed him to keep an eye on her, and not to tell anyone that she is here. I then turned to her and said, "I have to go to breakfast and all other meals every day to avoid arousing suspicion." I went on to explain that "Many of my Slytherins have death eaters for parents, and since I was one of the last "Death Eaters" to be seen with you my absence could blow my cover, not to mention Albus will kill me if he knew I was going behind his back." I instructed her "If you need something tell Dobby, and he will either get what you need or get me "  
I went to breakfast and tried to act normally, but I could not stop thinking about the girl lying down in my chambers. I spent the meal glaring at Minerva and Albus. Minerva was supposed to be the one who advocated for her, Hermione was a Gryffindor after all for Merlin's sake. I couldn't help but notice the conflicted look on her face. I knew I would have to speak to her when Albus wasn't around. I was eating my eggs when I heard a small pop like that of a house elf apparating and I knew immediately what that meant.  
I excused myself and returned to my chamber to find Hermione sitting up on my bed. I went over to the bed and sat down next to her. She was obviously upset, but given the way that those she thought cared about her had treated her at Grimmauld place, who wouldn't be. I made a mental note to chastise Molly and Alastor for causing her more distress than necessary.  
My attention was turned back to Hermione when I heard her ask me in a soft voice, "Why are you helping me professor? I thought you hated me."  
I paused to think for a moment before I responded, "I never hated you for one, I just have an image to uphold, and to answer the question as to why I am helping you, I cannot let the only competent student that I have taught in years to have their life ruined because of an idiot like Krum and I most certainly not stand idly by while the other members of the order throw away the only hope we have of defeating you know who."  
She looked up at me and smiled at me, but while she did I couldn't help but notice the tear streaks running down her face. She then said in a whisper "Thank you professor, but what am I going to do once I am better, after my baby arrives. I can't go back to my parents home, my muggle education only goes up to year 6, I have not completed my N.E.W.Ts and I can't anyways since they snapped my wand. I have no future, I get attacked and now because of that my life is over" She couldn't even say that without breaking into tears  
I realized I hadn't thought about that yet, but unfortunately I had to admit she was right. I had to think of something and fast. In the softest voice I could manage I told her, "I will get you a new wand, I may have to obtain your memories of the incident as proof, but if I know Ollivander he will help. He knows how brilliant you are and he will definitely agree with me on how unfairly the situation has been handled. You are 17 now, so there won't be a trace on your wand. I will be speaking to the other professors to get the work for the classes you would have been in. If I cannot get Minerva to change Albus's mind, I will teach you myself, regardless of what Albus or the Ministry has to say. I also will have to try and get Poppy's help with your care. I will make sure that you and your child are okay."  
She looked at me with a blank expression, clearly not having taken in everything that I had just said. She had stopped crying and suddenly she hugged me. Normally, I would not welcome such displays of affection, but she clearly needed this, and so I returned the hug. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her to the point that I wanted to cry myself. I couldn't cry though because she needed me to stay strong.


	10. Changing Tides

Chapter 10

Severus POV:  
I heard a knock on the door of my chambers. I knew that I would have to open it, so I gently released Hermione from the hug and instructed her, “Remain in my bedroom, if the conversation is relevant to you, you will be able to hear it.” She nodded to indicate that she understood.  
I exited my room, entering the sitting room, and opened the door. To my surprise the person standing outside my door was Minerva McGonagall. She asked me “May I come in Severus” to which I stepped aside to let her in.  
In my snarkiest tone I posed the question, “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company” I noticed she was hesitant to respond.  
She finally said, “I came to ask about Miss Granger.” I thought I should reprimand her for her response at Grimmauld Place, but I decided to simply question her.  
I asked her, “ Why do you care? If I recall you are one of the people who abandoned her when she needed us most. You were her head of house for Merlin’s sake. You know she wouldn’t have made a mistake like that. The poor girl was raped and you let her be thrown onto the streets. You should have said something”  
After hearing what I said, it was obvious that Minerva was regretting the statements that she made previously. She was on the verge of tears when she said  
“I have been torn up inside about her situation. Do you know where she is? Is she okay? I don’t care what Albus or the ministry has to say. I want to help her if I can. I need to apologize to her. If what you are telling me is true Severus, then this poor girl has suffered too much already. I know what she went through, I want to speak to her.”  
As she said this I heard a door open behind me. I turned around to see Hermione peering through. Hermione then screamed at Minerva, “How could you know, you weren’t expelled, you weren’t abandoned and you most certainly were not in my shoes as a teenager who’s life was ruined when a stupid boy raped her and left her with a child as permanent reminder of that horrible night. I have nightmares every time I close my eyes, now tell me Professor how the hell can you understand what I have been through. ”  
Minerva gasped the moment that Hermione had started speaking, and by the time Hermione was finished, Minerva’s usual stoic expression was replaced by one of sadness with tears falling from her emerald green eyes. Hermione obviously was able to see that her former mentor was remorseful. Minerva was about to say something when Hermione bluntly interrupted, “I don’t want to hear an apology, Prove to me you are sorry. I cannot and will not believe someone who upon hearing half the story abandoned me without even thinking that there was a chance that this wasn’t my fault.” Hermione’s brown eyes glared at Minerva, as if igniting a flame.  
Minerva pondered for a moment, and calmly said to Hermione, “I will do everything in my power to help you. I will procure a wand for you, I will continue to teach you Albus and the Ministry can be damned. I might just know a charm that will allow you to hide the pregnancy and when the child is born you can give it up for adoption or I will personally see to it being taken care of on the castle grounds while you finish your education. I will fight Albus tooth and nail to revoke the expulsion and reinstate you as head girl. You still deserver the title, because not only do you have the intelligence, but you also are a strong and inspiring young woman, who has been put in an unfortunate situation. I must excuse myself now to speak to Albus, but I will return as soon as I am finished with him.”  
With that Minerva excused herself leaving me to care for Miss Granger. We sat there for a few minutes in silence before Hermione eventually asked, “What will happen in regards to my child?” I had no idea how to put my answer into words; hell I didn’t even know what to say to Miss Granger. I thought for a few moments about what to say, trying to phrase things as delicately as possible so as not to upset her more than she already was. I decided on what the best thing to tell her was before I responded to her question“ I do not yet know what we will be doing with your child. We know abortion is out of the question. For now just let me promise you though everything will be okay. Professor McGonagall and I will figure out a solution to your situation somehow.” I then realized it is best to draw her attention to another topic.  
I enquired, “Miss Granger, would you mind telling me what your wand was made out of? I need to know in order to replace it since Albus idiotically snapped it without thinking about the situation, and the possibility that you were telling the truth, which we now know that you are.”  
Miss Granger said back “My wand was a 10 and 3/4 inch wand made out Vinewood, with a dragon heartstring core.” I can obtain that easily from Ollivanders, I then realized I couldn’t leave Miss Granger on her own, given the trauma she has been through. I knew that she trusted me, but I could not help her through this alone. She would most likely be very uncomfortable discussing the events of that night with me solely because I am a man. I knew then that I would need to help Minerva gain Miss Granger’s trust.  
I shook myself out of my thoughts and said “Miss Granger, when Professor McGonagall returns, I can either go get you a new wand or I can send her if you prefer that I stay with you.”  
Miss Granger asked me, “Would you mind going to get my new wand? Although I feel safer with you, I need to talk to Professor McGonagall alone.”  
I responded, “If that is what you wish, that can easily be arranged.”

Minerva’s POV  
I exited Severus’s chambers thankful that at least someone was taking care of her, I set off for Albus’s office, and within minutes I was outside the gargoyles that guard his office. Sudden Albus came down to meet me, he seemed to know I was coming and invited me in. Once inside he motioned for me take a seat before asking, “Would you like a cup of tea, Minerva?”  
To which I responded, “No Thank you, Albus. I am here to discuss a serious and time-sensitive topic.”  
The twinkle in his eyes had disappeared and as if he were reading my mind he said, “I presume you are here to discuss the topic of Miss Granger. Well there is absolutely nothing I can do Minerva. No matter how bright she is, she got herself into this situat- –“  
Before Albus could finish his statement I interrupted in a matter of fact tone, similar to the one that I used on Dolores Umbridge during the Golden Trio’s 5th year, “Albus don’t you dare go accusing that poor girl of getting herself into this mess. Did you not listen to the girl, she was RAPED, now do I have to spell it out for you R-A-P-E-D. She didn’t choose this and that is a fact. Severus found her at a Revel the night that you EXPELLED her. That revel is where Krum confessed to He Who Shall Not Be Named that he had in fact raped Miss Granger. How daft are you, do you not see that you messed up. She still deserves to be Head Girl. You have NO idea what the poor girl went through.”  
Albus interrupted my rant saying “How do you know what she has been through, how could you understand. Anyways as I said earlier, I can’t fight the ministry and you know who at the same time.”  
I scoffed at this and said “Albus, you can fight for Miss Granger and you will have to if you want to win this war. After all, how many times would Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have died if it hadn’t been for Miss Granger? If you don’t help her you will be killing all three of them and thus killing any hope of us winning the war. As to how I would know what Miss Granger is going through, I have been in her shoes, except being a half-blood and having a compassionate mother allowed me to hide my pregnancy, thus allowing me to avoid the consequences. If you don’t recall in my seventh year I missed about a month of school for so called ‘Family Emergencies’, well actually that was so that I would be at home and thus able to seek medical care without fear of repercussions when I went into labor. My mother had helped me through it by taking me to a muggle version of a healer. I gave my son up for adoption to a couple with the last name Granger. I figured out he was a squib because he was not in attendance in the school year that he would be eleven. Given the similarities that Hermione and I share, it is quite likely that I am her biological grandmother. Since her parents have abandoned her, I will ask her if she would be open to the idea of me adopting her. If that does happen, she will be staying in my chambers along with her baby. You cannot and will not stop me, and if you try to, I will resign. You and I both know that there is nobody who is as qualified as I am to teach transfiguration in Britain, and possibly the entire world. I demand that you give her the position of head girl back seeing as she rightfully earned it. She deserves a future and she will go far if you give her the chance.”  
Albus in a vain attempt to calm me down told me “Minerva, if you want to fight this, I won’t stop you. I did not tell the ministry yet and if she can either prove that this child was the result of rape or get married before school starts again, she will be able to attend and retain her position of head girl. If neither of those occurs, you adopting her will be the only way that she can remain in the castle. Now I suggest you go down to the dungeons and speak with Miss Granger. Now would be the perfect time to inform her of her options. I do know for a fact that she is currently with Severus. Please give my regards to Miss Granger”  
With that I bade Albus farewell. I spent the time walking back to the dungeons thinking about what he had said. How dare he try to say anything to the poor girl that he has only added on to her suffering and more importantly how did Albus know that she is in the dungeons with Severus? I knew then that I would have to investigate.


	11. Are You Serious?

Warning: Mentions Rape  
Chapter 11:

Minerva POV:  
I entered Severus's chambers to find Miss Granger sitting on his couch clutching her legs to her chest. Although I could not see her face, I was quite sure that she had been crying again. Upon my return Severus informed me that he would be leaving for Ollivanders to obtain a replacement wand for Hermione and that she would like to speak with me alone. I walked over to her and sat down on the sofa next to her. 

Hermione POV:  
I noticed Professor McGonagall sit down next to me. I took a moment to collect myself before I spoke to her. I had so many things running through my mind, so many things to say, and so many questions to ask her. What did she mean when she said that she knew what I had been through? Is it possible that she is also a rape victim? Now was my chance to ask her, if Professor Snape were around she may feel uncomfortable discussing it. 

I gathered all my courage and asked her, “Professor, would you mind clarifying what you meant when you said to Professor Snape that you knew what I have been through?” 

“This is a hard story for me to tell Miss Granger, but for your sake I feel that I must. I actually was in the same position when I was going into seventh year. Early that summer I was raped, and I had ended up feeling nauseous towards the end of the summer. I kept telling myself that it couldn’t be but I knew somewhere inside that I was lying to myself. Then came the fateful day that changed my life forever, I had just received the letter informing me that I was Head Girl, when I found out that I was expecting a child. I had gone to my mother the night I was attacked, and she was making sure that I got help, at least psychologically. We both initially overlooked the fact that there was possibility that I would get pregnant, and by the time we found out that I was pregnant, it was too late, not go mention my mother and I do not believe in abortion. My mother and I discussed my options, and made the decision that I would use a charm to conceal my pregnancy, for my medical care I would go to a muggle physician and that I would leave school about a month or two before my due date because of some ‘Family Emergencies’ so that when I went into labor, the school wouldn’t find out. I gave my son up for adoption. I was working at Hogwarts the year that my son would have turned eleven, so I know that he is a squib, but he would not know of our world. I recently was going through old photographs and I saw the only photo I have of my son and I. When I saw that photo, I couldn’t help but notice that there were some resemblances between you and my son. I eventually put two plus two together after I remembered that the last name of the couple that I had given my child to was Granger. So I am now convinced that you are in fact my granddaughter. I then thought about the situation and realized that I had made a huge mistake. Not only did I abandon my best student for being in the same position that I had been in when I was her age, but that the student that I abandoned was actually my granddaughter.”   
I asked Professor McGonagall “Wait so are you saying that you are actually my biological grandmother?”   
“Yes that is exactly what I am saying, and I fully intend to take on that role. Now Miss Granger, would you prefer that instead of calling you Miss Granger, that I call you Hermione, since you are my granddaughter? ”  
I answered in a resigned tone, “Just call me Hermione, its not like I am your student anymore”  
“Since you are my granddaughter, you may call me Minerva, Grandma, or Professor whichever you feel most comfortable with, so long as that when you are around your peers, you call me Professor.”  
“Okay Grandma”  
Professor McGonagall then said to me, ”That may not end up being the case. As you know I just spoke with Professor Dumbledore, and we have a few options to keep you in school. He informed me that he has yet to inform the ministry of your pregnancy and the expulsion that accompanied it. Now listen carefully, if you want to retain Head Girl and still be enrolled in school here, you will either need to get married or prove that it was rape. Severus and I will help you to prove this in any way that we can. If neither of those occurs, the only way that you can remain in the castle is if a staff member adopts you. Seeing as I have been through this before, and that you are likely my granddaughter, I will gladly adopt you. I actually would like to adopt you, and if you are okay with it I would like to adopt you either way. So it is now your call, will you allow me to adopt you?”  
“I would not like anything more!” I exclaimed before I pulled Professor McGonagall into a giant hug.  
“Thank you so much for offering to take me in, I really appreciate having your support. I was really upset when everyone in the order rejected me earlier. It is so surreal to know I won’t be living on the streets anymore. One night was tough enough, not to mention I didn’t even make it through the night without being kidnapped, again. I am sort of glad that I was kidnapped last night, because otherwise Professor Snape would not have found out the truth about what happened, and I would still be on the streets, with no help, not to mention the boy who raped me is dead now because he decided to bring me before He Who Shall Not Be Named. I also would not have learned that my former professor is my grandmother.”  
“Hermione dear, your strength and ability to see the silver lining never ceases to amaze me. I know for a fact that I did not handle this situation nearly as well as you have. I can definitely see why you were put in Gryffindor as opposed to Ravenclaw. I am extremely proud to call you my granddaughter, regardless of what our society’s opinions are.” 

Minerva POV:  
I had decided to leave out Albus’s message because I was almost positive that hearing from him would only serve upset Hermione more. When I asked if she would allow me to adopt her, she instantly pulled me into a giant hug. Her voice sounded so happy and in an instant the tears that were pouring down her face dried, leaving only the tearstains and a huge smile in its wake. I knew that she would be happy when I offered to adopt her, but I never thought that there would be such a drastic change in her overall demeanor. I had not seen her smile since the end of last term. I was so glad that she was smiling, considering all that she has been through it is hard not to be negative. I saw the sparkle, which had been missing for so long, return to her honey brown eyes. I told her how proud I was of her while she was still in my embrace. A few moments later, while still in Hermione’s embrace, I heard Severus’s voice.

Severus POV:

I left my chambers as quickly as I could and headed straight to Ollivanders. I wanted to get the wand and get back to Miss Granger as fast as I could. I walked into Ollivanders shop.  
He seemed puzzled about why I would be here and but he still asked me, “How can I help you Severus?”   
I would use my snarky attitude normally but I decided that if I want him to be quiet about this purchase that I will need to be polite, ugh. “Hello Garrick, do you think you could get me a ten and three quarter inch Vinewood wand with a dragon heartstring core.”  
“Severus, I remember every wand that I have sold, I know this is not what your wand is made out of, although this is the exact same one as Miss Granger. What is it that you need this for?” Ollivander enquired.   
I snapped at him, “It is none of your business why I am purchasing this wand just know this, I have a very good reason to be purchasing this wand, and if you would rather that I send Minerva over here to buy it, and trust me she will not be as patient given the circumstances that we are handling at the moment, then be my guest.” Ollivander quickly took the money and handed me the wand, not wanting to face Minerva’s wrath, I then turned on my heels and walked out with my black robes billowing behind me, and apparated away.   
I returned the gates of Hogwarts and proceeded to my chambers. When I opened the door to my chambers and went in, I saw Miss Granger hugging Minerva and Miss Granger was smiling. They didn’t seem to notice that I had entered. I was trying to think, what could Minerva possibly have said to make Miss Granger so happy.   
I announced to the two of them, “Miss Granger, I have returned with your new wand.”

“Thank you so much Professor. You have no idea how much this means to me. I never would have thought that you of, all people, would be in my corner.” Miss Granger responded, with tears in her eyes.

“When I walked in Miss Granger, I noticed that you were smiling and looked genuinely happy. May I ask about what happened to make you so happy?”

She answered, “Well, Professor McGonagall informed me of what happened when she spoke with Professor Dumbledore. If she adopts me I will be able to stay in the castle. Better yet I can stay in school if we prove rape, or I get married, and I would still be Head Girl. I also learned that I am most likely not a muggleborn, but rather the daughter of a squib. If it is okay with Professor McGonagall I can explain this discovery.” 

“Of course you may explain this discovery to Severus dear” Minerva chimed in.  
“Okay so the story actually begins the summer before Professor McGonagall’s seventh year. She was raped that summer and the attack left her pregnant, so she was in fact in the exact same situation as I am in now. The one difference is that her mother helping her to conceal the pregnancy. She ended up using a few charms to conceal her baby bump, and about a month and a half before her due date, she left school due to a ‘Family Emergency’. There was no other emergency other than avoiding going into labor while she was at the school, thus allowing her to conceal her pregnancy. She gave her son up for adoption; to a couple with the last name Granger. The interesting thing is, that if my calculations are not mistaken, my father was 27 when I was born, which would mean that he was born in 1952, which is the year that Professor McGonagall’s son was born. We know her son is a squib, considering the fact she was teaching at Hogwarts in the year 1963, which is when her son would have been eleven years old. Since all of this is true, there is only one reasonable explanation for this; Professor McGonagall is actually my grandmother. Since she is my grandmother, my dad is a hypocrite because of his treatment of me, considering he himself was a rape baby, to a seventeen year old woman.” Hermione explained. 

This was a very shocking revelation. I obviously asked the question, “Minerva, is all this true?”  
To which she responded, “It is the truth.”  
“So let me get this straight, you were raped in the summer going into your seventh year. You ended up pregnant and hid the pregnancy. You had a son that you gave up for adoption. The Grangers raised your squib son as a muggle. Your Squib son is Miss Granger’s father. So you are Miss Granger’s grandmother.”

“Yes Severus, that is correct and I can honestly say that I am absolutely certain that she is my granddaughter”

“Did Albus actually say that she could stay in the castle?”

“Severus, everything that my granddaughter just told you is true.”

“Minerva, if you intend to adopt your granddaughter, you should probably hurry up and go to the ministry. You need get the adoption process started as soon as possible. We both know that it is only a matter of time before she starts showing.”


	12. Visit to My Past & the Road to My Future

Chapter 12  
Hermione POV:  
It’s so strange to think that how in a matter of days my life has been turned upside down. Three days ago, I discovered that I was pregnant, and got kicked out of my house, and worse EXPELLED. That night I was dragged to a revel, drugged to the point I couldn’t see, feel, or speak. I almost was raped again. Professor Snape rescued me, and the next morning the order treated me like shit. I slept for the next twenty-four hours, during which time Professor Snape brewed the potions that allowed me to recover my senses. I wake up in his chambers at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall came to apologize, and oh yeah, Professor McGonagall is my grandmother. Now my grandmother is adopting me.  
Minerva POV:  
“Hermione, would you like to go to the ministry to start the adoption process today?”   
She responded with the question, “Don’t you need my parents to sign over their rights first?”   
I realized that I had completely forgotten about getting her parents to officially disown her.  
“I guess we will have to make a visit to your parents house then. Should I tell your father that he was the result of a rape?”  
Hermione smiled and said, “Yes, you should tell him, and then you can reprimand him for abandoning me.”  
“Okay Dear, lets get going.”   
Since apparition is completely safe during the first half of the pregnancy, we decided to walk from Severus’s chambers to the apparition point right outside the gates, then apparate to the Granger’s home. I actually have never met my son so this will be interesting, considering he is only five years away from turning 50.  
Hermione POV   
We arrived in front of my childhood home. As we approached the door, I got more and more nervous. I was dreading this confrontation. I was standing to the side so that my “parents” would not see me immediately when they got the door. Professor McGonagall knocked on the front door and in about a minute my little sister Abby had answered the door.   
“Hello, can I help you?” Abby asked politely.

From the blind spot that I was standing in, I whispered to Professor McGonagall “That is Abby, she is my little sister. She may not know what happened because I didn’t have a chance to explain”  
Professor McGonagall responded to my sister “Yes as a matter of fact you can help me. I am looking for the parents of one of my former students. Are your parents at home?”

“Yes my mom and dad are upstairs, would you mind telling me your name?”

“I am Professor McGonagall. I teach at the school that your sister attended. She is actually right over there. You cannot tell your parents that I am here about your sister, this is very important and I know they won’t respond if they know who I am.” 

“Okay let me go get them.” Abby said before she ran up the stairs to get our parents. A few moments later Abby returned with our parents following her. Abby then snuck outside through the back door and went to where I was standing, while the adults spoke.”

“Abby, what have mom and dad told you about me?”

“Nothing, I have asked them for the past three days. I have asked them multiple times a day since you left, but they just yell at me things like, ‘Don’t you dare mention that disgrace in my presence’ or ‘Forget that freak ever existed’.”

“Do you want me to explain to you what is going on, but please if I tell you hear me out before you say anything.”  
My sister responded, “Okay, I promise to hear you out”  
“Oh where do I begin, I can’t sugar coat the story. It started in late June when I was raped. Three days ago I found out that I was pregnant. That day when I told mom and dad, they kicked me out saying that I messed up and that I was lying about being raped.”   
As I was telling her this I noticed my sister’s honey brown eyes forming tears.   
“I then went to my school, well as of right now former school, and I was expelled because of this. The headmaster already knew because mom and dad sent him a letter telling him the story they chose to believe. I was left with no where to go and that night I was sleeping in the park before a policeman woke me up saying that it is not okay to sleep there. I made a break for it, only to run into the person who raped me back in June. I was taken to this meeting of an evil group, and members of this group are called Death Eaters. Where they temporarily took away my senses of sight, touch and my ability to speak, with the use of potions and charms. Thankfully my former potions professor is a spy and he was there. He took me to a ‘safe place’ where I ended up actually being treated like shit by those I thought cared about me, including the professor you just met. She hadn’t heard the whole story, and apparently she had been through the same thing minus the part about getting expelled. She managed to hide her pregnancy and because of that she was not expelled. She left school for a month and a half due to a ‘family emergency”. She gave birth to a son, who was a squib. Squibs are children of magical descent, who lack magical abilities. She gave her son up for adoption to a couple by the last name of Granger. Her son has the same birthday as dad does. This can’t be just a coincidence she has to be our biological grandmother. She is right now trying to gain custody of me so I can remain at the castle where I will at least be safe from the evil group that caused this.”  
“I don’t know what to say Hermione, I believe you about the attack, I know you wouldn’t make something like that up, but it is a bit harder for me to believe the entire story, like the part about your professor being our grandmother”  
“It took me a little while to adjust to the idea that my professor is actually my grandmother”  
“Hermione, will you please keep in touch?” Abby begged.  
“I will do the best that I can, but there are no guarantees because of your parents. Grandma is right now trying to secure guardianship of me so that I can remain at a safe location.”   
Minerva POV:  
Here I am standing on the doorstep of my biological son’s house, in an attempt to gain custody of his daughter that he abandoned. Mr. Granger spoke first when he asked me “What can I do for you?”   
“Mr. Granger, there are a few matters that are relevant to you. May I step in, I prefer not to discuss the situation in front of the entire neighborhood.”

Mrs. Granger invited me in and offered me a cup of tea before she asked me, “Now what is it that you have to discuss with my husband and I?”

“I teach at the school your daughter attended and it has been brought to my attention, that she was thrown out onto the street as a consequence for her pregnancy, which in a way is already torture because it resulted from rape. One of my coworkers is a spy and he discovered her at a revel of dark wizards. One of the dark wizards made it quite clear that he had raped your daughter. The reason that I am here is since you have made it clear that you want nothing to do with your daughter, I would like to adopt her, because at least then she will be safe and cared for, instead of starving and being attacked on the streets. I also want to adopt her because I was in the same situation at her age, the difference my mother was compassionate, and as such, I was able to hide my pregnancy. I left school due to a ‘Family Emergency’ in January of my seventh year and returned shortly after my son was born. I gave my son up to a couple named Titania and Oberon Granger.”

“Wait, those are my parents. You have got to be kidding me. Am I getting pranked or something?” 

“This is no joke Mr. Granger. I am in fact your biological mother. I had you when I was 17. That right there is part of the reason I am so upset with you. You abandoned your daughter in her time of need, and ruining her life in the process. You got her EXPELLED, which I recall her telling her friends in her first year that expulsion is a fate worse than death. I am a successful member of the Wizarding World, yet I was pregnant with you at the age of 17. Your daughter could have been just as successful had you not kicked her out and told the Headmaster that she had made up the story about her rape, because SHE WAS RAPED! I she had been at school and told me what had happened; she would not have been expelled because I would have made the arrangements necessary to hide her pregnancy. You also should have informed me first seeing as I am her Head of House. You would be doing what is best for her by signing over your parental rights to me because I won’t abandon her. I am doing my best to get her back into school and to reinstate her as Head Girl. She is in so much danger right now that the only safe place for her is the castle, and if her expulsion isn’t rescinded then she won’t even be able to stay there unless I adopt her. I have the papers right here for you to sign; I suggest you do so if you know what is good for you. ”   
I pushed the papers into my son’s hand and handed him a quill. He was reluctant to sign, presumably because by doing so he could no longer control her. He signed the papers and I bade them farewell before walking to the door where I stopped and warned them, “Also, if I so much as hear a peep about you mistreating my other granddaughter there will be hell to pay” before I exited the home.  
“Hermione, we have to hurry, the Ministry will be closing in about an hour. I have the forms signed so all we need to do is submit those forms and wait until the Ministry makes it official.”  
“Okay Grandma, let’s go” 

Hermione POV:  
“Goodbye Abby, I will do my best to talk to you soon. If anything happens to you tell me and I will make sure that Grandma helps you. I love you Abby.”  
“Okay, and I love you too.”  
With that we left for the Ministry. We arrived at the phone booth in London and entered through there. Since we were in public, I had to call my grandmother Professor, so as not to arouse suspicion.   
“Professor, where are we going?

“We are going to the offices of the Wizengamot Administration Services.   
They are similar to the muggle court registers. They are the ones who will file the adoption papers. They may ask questions, do not under any circumstances mention that you are my granddaughter or that you are pregnant. If they ask why I am adopting you, the reason you are to give is that your parents no longer want anything to do with you because they don’t want their association with you to endanger them or the rest of your family. As your Head of House I decided that I would adopt you seeing as you are already like a child to me during the school year. Do you understand?”

“Yes Professor” I responded.

We reached a door at the end of a long corridor that was labeled “W.A.S”. We walked in and Professor McGonagall indicated to me that I should wait where I was while she turned in the papers.

Minerva POV:  
I indicated to Hermione to wait where she was, while I turned in the papers. I did not recognize the clerk.   
She took the papers and looked at them carefully before she asked, “Why are you interested in adopting this child in particular?”  
“I would like to adopt Miss Granger because she has been abandoned by her parents, who put their own safety above hers. As her Head of House she is already like my child during the school year, and as such I care for her as if I were her mother. I might as well legally take that role if her mother is too afraid to fulfill it.”  
“Okay, the paperwork appears to be in order, now we just need a physical for purposes of her files, you may take her to any Healer, Mediwitch, or Squib who is a muggle Physician that you wish. As soon as the records are received, the adoption will be official.”  
“Okay, thank you very much. Those papers should be over later today.”

I walked back over to Hermione and told her it was time to go. We left the Ministry and apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. I showed her to my chambers and asked her to sit down. How was I going to tell her that they needed records from a physical sent to them by the Healer, Mediwitch, or Squib who is a licensed muggle physician?   
“Hermione, dear while I was talking to the woman at the Wizengamot Administration Services, I was informed that you will need a physical that the paperwork is directly sent by a licensed Healer, Mediwitch, or a Squib who is a licensed Muggle Physician. We will have to talk to Poppy about this. I have a strong feeling that she will leave your pregnancy off the record. Are you ready to go down to the hospital wing?”  
“As ready as I will ever be”  
And with that we left to go see Poppy.


	13. The Last Roadblock

Minerva POV:  
As we were walking down to the hospital wing Hermione asked me, “What are you going to say to Madam Pomfrey?”  
“My Dear, She is one of my best friends, I will tell her the honest truth and if she doesn’t believe me, than she can ask Severus. I am sure that she will help us cover up your pregnancy. She was my best friend during our years at Hogwarts and with the exception of my mother; she was the only person in the magical world who knew that I was pregnant. My situation then was part of what inspired her to become a Mediwitch so that she could help other teenage girls who were pregnant during school so that they would not be expelled, or have to go to a muggle physician.”  
“So that’s why you want me to see Madam Pomfrey instead of any other type of healer because you know that she will lie about my pregnancy?”  
“Exactly, Now when we get there I am going to ask that you wait in the corridor until I come to get you. I will be speaking to Poppy about the situation first so that she is prepared. She will offer you her assistance with your pregnancy, and it would be wise of you to accept it, this way you are not suspiciously leaving the school and you will not be left vulnerable to Death Eater attacks. Now wait here.” I told her before I entered the hospital wing to find Poppy, busy organizing her supplies and files.   
She looked up from her work and said, “Hello Minerva, how are you?”  
“I am okay Poppy, however my granddaughter needs to get a physical so that I can adopt her. I am adopting her because my ‘Son’ disowned her after she told him and his wife that she had gotten pregnant as a result of being raped. I can’t trust anyone other than you with this exam. I need you to help me conceal this so that she can remain at the castle instead of on the streets.”  
“You met your son? Who is he? What is he like? What is his daughter like? When will I meet her?”   
“Yes I did in fact meet my son. His name is Tybalt Granger, and he is a squib. He is a muggle dentist and he has two daughters, ages 10 and 17. I am working on adopting his eldest daughter. She is a lot like me, and actually I think she is probably smarter than I was when I was her age. She and her two best friends have gotten into a lot of dangerous situations since she was eleven. You actually have met her, if I recall she spent a few weeks here back in 1993 when she was petrified, not to mention in 1992 when she became a human cat. She has been here many times to visit her best friend who tends to get injured a lot. I am actually her Head of House, and I still didn’t realize she was my granddaughter until she became pregnant. When Severus told me that the child was Viktor Krum I thought that they both were at fault because of their prior relationship. I couldn’t believe that this child was actually the result of Viktor Krum raping her.”  
“Is Miss Granger really your granddaughter?”  
“Yes, that she is. She is waiting in the corridor as we speak, shall I go get her so that we can get the examination over with?”  
Poppy nodded, so I turned around and exited the hospital wing.   
“Hermione, I have briefed Poppy on the situation, and she has agreed to help us out, so that we can guarantee that you pass the physical that the Ministry mandates before I am allowed to adopt you. Come on dear”  
“I’m scared”  
“Dear, you don’t need to worry, Poppy doesn’t bite. Would it make you feel more comfortable if I were in there with you?”  
She nodded her head to say yes. I opened the door for her and followed her in. As we approached Poppy she started to slow down before she stopped short of Poppy and hid behind me. I gave her a hug and reassured her that everything will be okay. She was unconvinced but she at least approached Poppy with me. Poppy seemed to sense Hermione’s fear and before I could even get a word out Poppy said to Hermione, “I know you are nervous, but don’t worry, I will do my best to make this as short as possible. Your grandmother has informed me of the entire situation and I assure you that the Ministry will not be informed of anything that you do not wish them to discover. That information will remain between the three of us. There is a private room that I will be using whenever you are in the hospital wing. Follow me dear so that we can get this out of the way, and make the adoption official. “

Hermione POV:  
I followed Madam Pomfrey to the private room and sat down on the bed. At least I had Professor McGonagall with me. I was still freaking out because I have only had muggle physicals before and after those I always felt so violated. After what happened this summer, I have no desire to have a muggle physical ever again.   
Since I have no idea what a wizard physical entails I decided to ask, “What happens during a wizard physical? If they are anything like a muggle physical, I don’t want one. I always felt so violated after those and I don’t want to be violated again.”  
Poppy placed her hand on my shoulder and reassured me “Not to worry dear, it just requires a few spells, and unfortunately for young women, such as you, one of the required spells is a pregnancy test. That is why Minerva asked me because she knew that I would not report the pregnancy to the Ministry. I just find that rule to be ridiculous, and unfair. The boy will not be expelled but the girl will, how on earth is that fair. The guy can get away with it, while the girl gets blamed. It will be over before you know it.”  
A few incantations later and it was over. It didn’t even take 5 minutes. I am shocked at how quick and painless that was. The only time there was any physical contact was when Madam Pomfrey was when she had been reassuring me. She told us to wait there before she left the room to send the paperwork. She came back in and asked me “Have you decided on who you will be seeing for care regarding your pregnancy?”  
“We had not discussed that yet, I was thinking that I would go to a muggle physician, and use a pseudonym. I figure that way the ministry can’t trace it. “  
“Miss Granger, it will look quite suspicious if you are leaving the castle often. It would be much easier for you if I were to be your healer. I can set up a passage between your room in Minerva’s quarters and this private room. Prior to my employment at Hogwarts, I was a midwife at St. Mungo’s. Minerva do you have an opinion on this?”  
Minerva weighed in saying to her granddaughter “Hermione, muggle physicians will be more invasive, so you may prefer Poppy to some muggle physician. I personally would have preferred to have someone like Poppy opposed to a muggle. I have nothing against muggles but after what I had been through I would have preferred to have less physical contact with somebody I barely knew.“  
“Hmm… you make a good point grandma. Madam Pomfrey, would you be my healer?”  
“Certainly dear, you do realize that there are still things that we have to do the muggle way, but that isn’t until the very end of the pregnancy and hopefully by then you will be in a better psychological state. I have a feeling that your grandmother will be able to help you in that sense. From what I have heard Severus is aware of the situation, I will be asking him to brew prenatal vitamin potions for you.”  
“Okay, I understand”  
“One last thing dear, do not overexert yourself, and make sure that you eat, even if you aren’t feeling up to it. Minerva, can I trust that you will keep an eye on her?”   
“Of course I will take good care of my granddaughter and my great grandchild.”  
“Do you have any other questions Miss Granger?”   
“I don’t have any at the moment.”  
“Than I believe we are done here. I will see you again in two weeks”   
Professor McGonagall took me back to her chambers.   
She asked me, “Is there anything that you would like before I go speak with Albus?”  
“Can you please get Professor Snape, I don’t want to be left alone.”  
“Of course dear, I will send him a Patronus right now.” When Professor Snape arrived she went to speak with Professor Dumbledore.   
I noticed that there was an owl waiting outside of the window, so I opened the window and took the letter. It was from the Ministry, specifically the Wizengamot Administration Services. I can’t wait for Professor McGonagall to come back so that I can find out what they have said.  
Professor Snape asked me, “What is the letter about”  
“It’s about the adoption, but it is addressed to my grandmother so I can’t open it yet.”   
“Miss Granger, has your grandmother spoken to you about therapy yet?”  
“Not really, I don’t know how I feel about the idea because it upsets me to even think about what happened.”  
“Therapy should help with that actually. I should help you come to terms with what happened so that you can move on with your life.”  
“I will consider it okay?”  
“You won’t really have much of a choice in the matter. Your grandmother and I intend to meet later in the week so that we can find a therapist for you. We feel that it is in the best interest of both you and your child that you get psychological help. It will be tough at first, and time consuming, but in the big picture, it is better that you struggle through therapy now as opposed to turning to other coping skills. Although it is not very common in the Wizarding world, we are quite aware of self-harm because of the population of muggleborns at Hogwarts. Whether you know it or not, you have many of the risk factors for self-harm and suicide. So based on the facts that you are a female, teenager, with family issues and to top it all off a pregnant rape victim, your grandmother and I believe that intervention is necessary that we must intervene in order to ensure your wellbeing. I know you may not be happy about it but we are looking at someone in the Order. Tonk’s mother, Andromeda, is a therapist who works independently amongst both wizards and muggles, and as such she can keep everything secret. We can trust that she will not disclose the pregnancy because of the nature of her work. She specializes in helping rape victims recover from the psychological damage that is incurred from their rape. I know you are hesitant to accept help, but Hermione, after I risked my life to rescue you; the least you can do is try this. You don’t know if this will help you. Will you please try therapy? If not for me try this for your grandmother.”   
“Fine I will give it a try, but only because you saved my life and my grandmother is going to all this trouble to adopt me. If I don’t think it is doing any good I will just stop going to it and you better not stop me.”  
“I cannot make any promises as to what your grandmother will do, but I promise that I will not force you to go to therapy if you don’t feel like it is helping you.” Just as Professor Snape and I finished this conversation, grandma returned to our chambers, so now I get to read the letter.  
“Grandma, this letter from the Wizengamot Administration Services arrived right after you left, can we open it”  
“Of course my dear, now lets see,” she opened the letter and read aloud, “To Professor Minerva McGonagall, The Wizengamot Administration Services department would like to inform you that your petition to adopt Miss Hermione Granger, We have decided that we will…”


	14. The Other Two Thirds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really would appreciate comments but I am grateful for the two Kudos's I have twenty seven total chapters written, I only posted so many yesterday because I wanted people to see them when they searched.

BETA: 1stSoulVamp

Thanks girl!

Warning Mentions of Rape

I own nothing but my part of the plot line. Don't sue me please.

Chapter 14:

Last time:

"To Professor Minerva McGonagall, The Wizengamot Administration Services department would like to inform you that with regard your petition to adopt Miss Hermione Granger, We have decided that we will…"

Minerva POV:

"Grant your petition to adopt Miss Granger. Given the relationship that you already have with her, we feel that you are a suitable guardian for Miss Granger. Please come down to the offices of the Wizengamot Administration Services tomorrow morning to finalize the adoption.

Sincerely,

Cassiopeia Smith

Head of the Wizengamot Administration Services"

I cannot believe it the Ministry is going to let me adopt Hermione.

"Congratulations Miss Granger and Minerva." Professor Snape said to us before he excused himself to allow us some privacy.

"Dear, I have to discuss some serious matters with you since I will be your legal guardian starting tomorrow."

"Okay, what is it you want to discuss?" Hermione asked.

"First I would like you to begin therapy. I feel that this will help you to overcome the events of this past summer. Severus and I have discussed this in depth, and we have a therapist in mind."

"I know, Andromeda Tonks, Professor Snape already told me. You guys are worried that I will start self harming or that I will kill myself." Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Just remember this is not because I don't have faith in you. It is merely a precaution; I do not want to lose you because of this. I know that you will make it through this. I just want you to know, you can talk to me about anything. Severus and Poppy have told me that the same goes for them as well. We are all concerned for your well-being and we intend to do whatever we can to help you through this. Just know this dear, I love you very much and I don't want to lose you."

"Okay Grandma, now what else did you want to tell me? Make it fast because I want to try and get some sleep."

"Never mind darling, we can discuss it in the morning. Goodnight dear."

"Goodnight Grandma."

I went to bed that night thinking about the long day that lies in my path, ahead of me.

The Next Day:

I woke up before Hermione and I decided that now was the perfect time to go finalize the adoption. Before I left I wrote her a quick note on a scrap of parchment saying,

"I am off to the Ministry to finalize the adoption, I will be back shortly

-Grandma"

With that I left for the Ministry. As soon as I had entered the Department of the Wizengamot Administration Services, the same woman I had spoken with yesterday greeted me. "Are you here to finalize your adoption?"

"Yes, I am. Now what do you need me to do in order for the adoption to be official?" Eager to get this done and for Hermione to be mine.

"There are just a few forms you need to sign. In most cases we would require parenting classes, but given your occupation, we trust that you are sufficiently qualified to take care of Miss Granger. Just sign here, here, here, initial here and sign here." The woman said while pointing to the places that I needed to sign. I signed each and every one of the places she indicated. Wow this is a lot of paperwork, but Hermione is worth it.

"Is that everything?"

"Yes it is. Congratulations! You have officially adopted Hermione Granger or should I say Hermione McGonagall." The woman seemed happy. She must get a lot of sad cases involving new kids that pass through and why they're being adopted.

I left the Department of the Wizengamot Administration Services and headed straight back to Hogwarts. I decided I should stop at Albus's office before I returned to my chambers. I arrived at the gargoyles that guarded Albus's office. I said the password, "Sherbet Lemons" and the gargoyles moved aside giving me entrance to the staircase leading up to his office. "Albus, are you here?"

"Hello Minerva, it's a pleasure to see you this fine morning. Now as I understand it you have something to tell me?"

"Yes Albus, as of this morning I have officially adopted Miss Granger. Seeing as how Miss Granger is now my responsibility she will be residing in the castle so long as I am here. I have the papers that are evidence of the adoption if you do not believe me. Now I am off to tell Miss Granger the news. If you wouldn't mind getting Mister Potter and Mister Weasley for me, I do believe that they should be told the truth rather than being left only knowing the poppycock that you told them. Do not tell them what this is about, but tell them it is urgent. Just send them to my chambers, but do tell them not to say a word to anyone before I speak with them. With what you told them I would expect Mister Weasley to react negatively towards Hermione and she does not need the added stress that his reaction will cause. "

"Alright Minerva, I will do what I can to get Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley for you. I daresay Miss Granger will be thrilled to hear the news."

"It's Ms. McGonagall now." I said with an aura of confidence and pride.

I left Albus's office to return to my chambers. When I reached my chambers, I found Hermione awake on the couch, when I looked at her face I noticed tear streaks yet again.

"My dear child, why are you crying?"

"I had a nightmare about being abandoned and when I woke up you weren't here. I thought you abandoned me just like everyone else had. On top of all that, I am terrified about what lies ahead. How will I take care of my child? I couldn't just give them up for adoption because what if they turn out like my 'father' and look down on teenage mothers regardless of their circumstance? I don't want to find my child or grandchild someday abandoned only because they are in my current situation, but then again how will I take care of them without getting caught?"

"I would never abandon you child. You are my granddaughter, and adopted daughter. I love you with all my heart. Ever since you sorted into Gryffindor I thought of you as my own, and I made a mistake at Grimmauld Place, I never should have let the others opinions and actions influence my own. I should have had more faith in you then and I promise that I will never make that mistake again. As to the idea that I abandoned you this morning, I left you a note on your nightstand. I actually have something to show you…" I took out the certificate that proved that I had adopted her. "I was thinking of getting this framed and hanging it on the wall right above the mantle. Next to the photo that Severus took of you and I. What do you think?"

"I love the idea!" she exclaimed before pulling me into a giant hug.

"You do know what this means right?"

"I get to remain at Hogwarts!"

"Exactly, now I suggest you go get ready for the day. I have company coming over so I suggest remaining in your room until I come to get you."

"Okay Grandma."

When she left the room, I enlarged the photo of us so that Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley would see it when they arrived. Hermione's cat Crookshanks had decided to occupy one of the armchairs. I summoned Dobby. "Dobby would you please get me a pot of tea, with three cups, and a tray of ginger newts?"

"Of Course Ma'am, Dobby will be right back!"

Dobby popped away and in less than a minute was back with the tea and ginger newts.

"Dobby is back with what you requested ma'am!"

"Thank you very much Dobby." I praised, smiling at the little elf. They were always funny, fascinating creatures.

Dobby then left and not a moment later, I heard knock on the door to my chambers. That must be Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley. I collected myself before I went and opened the door for them.

Harry said to me politely "Hello Professor. How are you?"

"I am quite well Mr. Potter. How are you?"

Harry replied "I am alright, now what is it that you wished to see us about?"

"Please come in boys, and shut the door behind you. Now would either of you like a cup of tea?"

They simultaneously responded. "Yes please, Professor."

I poured them their tea and waited a moment for them to get settled before I continued. "Now I know you are wondering why I asked to see you over the summer, as I am sure you are aware, I normally separate my time off from my duties to the school, however this matter is very important."

Harry started to ask, "What is-" but was interrupted by Ron who was asking the question, "What's with the photo of Hermione? It looks new. Didn't you hear that she is pregnant and won't admit that she made a mistake? I bet she doesn't even know who the father is. I wonder when she became su-"

I cut him off by sternly saying, "Don't you dare finish that statement Mr. Weasley or you will find yourself with a month of detentions before the school year has even started. Hermione is in no way a harlot and you would be wise not to say that she is. Professor Snape found her at a revel the night that she was expelled from Hogwarts. She was kidnapped that night seeing as she was sleeping in a park, due to her parents and Professor Dumbledore's stupidity…" Harry was about to say something when I continued, "yes you heard me correctly, and I did in fact say that Professor Dumbledore did something extremely stupid, as did Miss Granger's parents. Now you see at the revel, Viktor Krum announced that she was pregnant with his child as a result of him raping her earlier in the summer. Had it not been for Professor Snape, your friend, and my granddaughter, would be dead right now. Yes I did call Hermione my granddaughter, and I discovered this as a result of her screaming about how I could never understand what she is going through. She was indeed expelled but I have found a way to keep my granddaughter safely in the castle. Although she is now safe, she still is expelled from Hogwarts. I have until term begins to reverse that. She only has two options to reverse this, one of which is to prove that she was raped, and the other is for her to get married. She is currently living here and will be for the time being. I hope that with all the times she stuck by you two, even when you came up with, as my granddaughter put it, 'brilliant ideas to get us killed, or worse expelled!' Now I need you both to tell me, are you going to be there for her, or not?"

"I don't know about Ron, but Hermione has saved my life more times than I can count. Dumbledore's story sounded fishy to me anyways. Now when can I see her? I miss her so much!" Harry exclaimed.

Ron chimed in "I'm with Harry on this one. When can I see her?"

Before I could even tell them I would go get her, she came bursting out of her bedroom straight to the other two thirds of the Golden Trio.

"I heard everything you guys said. I missed you guys so much. Ron was what you were about to say to my grandmother that I had become a whore, or any other similar word. How dare you? You heard from that foul loathsome cockroach that Hogwarts calls a Headmaster, not from me. Do you not have any faith in my judgment? Harry, thank you for sticking by me. I know this is a huge surprise to you, but this is even worse for me. At least I am safe with my grandmother."

"Mione, pardon my asking but you never did explain how Professor McGonagall is your grandmother. Would you please explain this?"

"Grandma, is it alright with you for me to tell them, or would you rather keep that quiet?"

"My dear child they need to know. I have kept that secret from all but Poppy for 45 years now. I have come to terms with it, and I have found the silver lining in what happened, I have you as my granddaughter, and I could not be more proud of you."

"Okay guys this is a long story and it's a sad one too. Professor McGonagall was also attacked going into her seventh year at Hogwarts. The attack left her in a similar situation to the one that I am in right now. She found out that she was pregnant shortly after she received the letter informing her that she was Head Girl. Her mother reacted very differently and instead of informing the school, her mother helped her to hide it from the school, going as far as to find a glamour charm that she could use to hide her belly, and to make her clothing grow with her so that she would be as comfortable as possible. The only person in the Wizarding World other than her mother who knew was her best friend, whom we know as Madam Pomfrey. Madam Pomfrey already knew a lot about healing and did her best to alleviate the pain that came along with her pregnancy. On Hogsmeade weekends, she would sneak out of Hogsmeade where she would meet her mother, who took her to a muggle physician; shockingly nobody noticed that she had been sneaking away. She made sure to make a stop at Honeydukes as a way of making sure people saw her in the town, before she snuck off, and then stopped at The Three Broomsticks after. When she was approximately seven and a half months pregnant, her mom had her come home for Christmas Break and because by the end of break, Professor McGonagall had still not given birth and as a result her mother claimed that there was a 'Family Emergency'. Two weeks later, her son was born and as a result she ended up being out of school for about a month, giving her time to recover, both physically and emotionally. Her son ended up being a squib, which was a good thing because his name didn't appear in the Hogwarts Registry. She gave her son to a couple with the last name Granger. Upon comparing my father's birthday and age to her son's birthday and age, and we discovered that the dates matched and thus making Professor McGonagall my grandmother. As such Professor McGonagall decided to adopt me."

Hermione POV:

After I finished speaking both Harry and Ron looked shell shocked, neither one knew what to say. I broke the silence. "Isn't that interesting? We were both attacked at the same age; we both ended up pregnant, but our parent's reaction made all the difference. She ended up successful with no repercussions from the attack other than missing a month of school, while I have to either prove I was raped, or get married in a week and a half in order to remain in school and retain my rightful position as Head Girl." I said gruffly.

Harry responded. "Mione that is really interesting actually. Do you know what are you going to do?"

"Actually Harry, I have no idea what I am going to do."


	15. A Fighting Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own only my OC's. Don't sue me please. I only aim to please.
> 
> Thanks you to those of you who reviewed.  
> -Kitty
> 
> BETA: 1stSoulVamp

Minerva POV:

As I watched my granddaughter interact with her friends, I could see the concern on her friend's faces. Even though I was concerned about the frequency that she left for the restroom in a hurry, obviously as a result of morning sickness, I was more concerned though about the fact that she had no idea of how she was going to handle everything that has happened to her in such a short time frame, and how she would cope with the growing list of symptoms. I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be all right, but I didn't even know how I was going to help her through this. . I wished that she had come to me before she went to her parents. I made a mental note to speak to all of the ladies of Gryffindor and inform them that should any of them find themselves pregnant, that they should inform me of their situation before they inform anybody else, including their Parents, the Headmaster, and Madam Pomfrey. I did not want any circumstances to take the education away from any of my cubs. As long as a boy can get away with getting a girl pregnant and not getting expelled, I will help girls in that situation to remain in school. I joined in their conversation as she was expressing her concerns to Mister Potter about what she was going to do.

"Hermione, you know we will come up with something. You have Professor Snape and I, not to mention your two best friends, Mister Potter and Mister Weasley. I happen to have an idea. Mister Potter, I need you to talk to Professor Dumbledore. Tell him that you will not help him with any of his missions until he allows us to use a pensieve or legilimency to provide the evidence that we need to revoke the expulsion."

Harry responded. "I am on it Professor, I will go there right now."

"Thank you Mister Potter."

Before Harry left I noticed Ron whisper something to Harry.

"Hermione its one o'clock in the afternoon, and you have yet to eat anything, you need to eat something."

"But Grandma, I don't feel well, what's the point if I am just going to puke it up anyways."

"Dear, you will still eat something, even if it is just bread, biscuits, or crackers. Come to think of it I remember when I was pregnant with your father that foods that contained ginger helped me a lot. I think that's when I became so fond of ginger newts. I have a tin of them on my desk in my office if you would like. You have to remember that it is not just you anymore; it's also your child that you are feeding. I know that it feels pointless, and seems to only make you throw up more, but you need to eat. Any amount of food that you do manage keep down is better than having no food at all. Now what would you like for lunch?"

Hermione answered by saying "I guess I will have one or two ginger newts but I am really not feeling well right now. I don't… Hold that thought," she said as darted to the restroom. I thought to myself, she was not kidding about not feeling well. I remember it was awful but I don't recall it being as bad as it seems for her. I wonder if there is a potion that will lessen the severity of the morning sickness. I will have to ask Severus about it, perhaps he can brew something for her.

Hermione returned and continued her recent statement. "I don't really want to eat at the moment. If you couldn't figure it out, I just threw up again."

"I presumed that was why you left. You still will be eating now; I will get you some ginger newts before I go floo call Severus. Perhaps he knows of a potion that will help with the nausea. It's been forty-five years since I went through this but I vaguely remember it wasn't as bad in the evenings. At dinner you should try to eat more, and it should be a well-balanced meal. If you still aren't getting enough nutrients, I can see if there are potions that will supplement what you do manage to eat."

"Grandma, I'm pregnant, not a five year old and unlike most pregnant teens, this isn't my fault. I do have common sense. I'm not a baby, so please don't treat me like I am one. You can treat my child like a baby because it will actually be a baby, not a seventeen year old."

Hermione POV:

Just as I finished telling my grandmother to treat me like the seventeen year old that I am, Harry returned through the intra-castle floo network. He slipped Ron something small, but I could not tell what it was. Before Harry could even say a single word, Ron got down on one knee.

"I have loved you since the day I met you. I know I acted like an asshole, but I was jealous, thinking that you had fallen for another guy. My mother and father may be upset, but I never want to lose you ever again. Miss Hermione Granger, will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Ronald Weasley?"

"I can't Ron, I just can't, even though it may be the only way to continue my education, I am not ready for a relationship after what happened this past summer. I'm just not ready to trust someone like that. I'm too scared of being hurt again. I'm such a coward; I really don't belong in Gryffindor. I'm sorry Ron."

Ron stormed out of Professor McGonagall's chambers screaming, "Hermione you are the biggest whore I have ever met. I don't want some other guy's left overs, all I did was try to help you and you turn me away. Have fun being stuck with your grandma for the rest of your life because the only job you could get is being a hooker, oh wait you aren't even good enough for that!"

My grandmother quickly spoke to me saying, "Dear, Mister Weasley is just upset that he cannot have you, and frankly it is a good thing you turned him down, otherwise you may not have known what he really is like before you married him. Now Hermione, do not call yourself a coward. You're not a coward, you have been through something traumatizing, and if you were a coward, you would not be here today. Hermione I will explain what I mean later but trust me, you are braver than I ever was. Don't even try to argue with me on it, you will lose. Now Mister Potter, what were you going to say earlier."

Harry said, "I was going to tell you that I just spoke with Professor Dumbledore, and he said that he will speak to the Board of Governors about permitting an appeal. He reckons that since she will be in the castle anyways they might be willing to let her continue her studies. If they grant your appeal you will be able to use a pensieve to display your evidence."

I pulled Harry into a giant hug and exclaimed, "That's amazing news Harry. Thank you so much."

"Mister Potter, I appreciate your help greatly, you just may have prevented Hermione from being forced into a marriage that she is not ready for. Mind you, she isn't ready for a child at this age, but that wasn't her choice."

"Umm Hello I'm right here!"

"Sorry Dear. Now Harry do you know how long it will be until we hear if we can appeal?"

"It shouldn't be long now Professor."

Just then Professor Dumbledore came through the floo network. "I come bearing great news!"

My grandma impatiently responded. "Then tell us what this great news?"

"The request for an appeal has been granted, there is a chance that Miss Granger will not be forced to marry, yet has the chance to return to school as the Head Girl."

"When is my appeal going to be heard?"

"Today at three o'clock pm"

Minerva POV:

I can't believe they granted the request for an appeal. We need to prepare for the appeal.

"Three o'clock! That's in less than two hours, how will I prepare my appeal in less than two hours?" Hermione exclaimed.

"Hermione dear, remember that I have to floo Severus about a potion anyways, I may as well ask him for his help with preparing the appeal."

"Okay Grandma, I am going to go get ready."

Albus quickly addressed Hermione, "Miss Granger, before you go, I would like to offer my apologies for acting hastily."

"Professor, no offense but I lost all respect I ever had for you, the day you expelled me without even listening to my side of the story. For your information there was no Tom fellow, that was something my parents assumed. Tom was a guy my friend was telling me about, I never even met him. So next time think before you do something that could ruin someone's life if it wasn't for Professor Snape, I would be dead."

I had said goodbye to Harry and tried to with Ron but he wouldn't listen, before I spent a lot of time getting ready. Right as I finished getting ready my grandmother returned with Professor Snape.

Severus POV:

I was in my chambers when Minerva floo called me asking me to come there. I went through the floo as she had asked. The instant that I had arrived she started to brief me on what was going on. I was pleased to hear that Hermione would be able to appeal. She had asked me to help with the appeal.

"Minerva, Lucius Malfoy, is on the Board of Governors, I can't outright help you besides using legilimency to extract the memories of the rape and Mr. Krum's confession. We have to be careful that the memories don't include me, or it will blow my cover. We must say that Albus forced me to help do this for him."

"Severus he was removed from the Board of Governors back in 1993, anyways that would have been sufficient for us to prove that she was raped. Would you mind coming back with me so that we can brief Hermione on the plan?"

"Of course I will," With that we flooed back to Minerva's chambers.

Minerva POV:

When we arrived at my chambers, it was around two o'clock. It took me a while to brief Severus on the events that had unfolded just an hour and a half before. I went over the plan with Hermione.

"We plan to use legilimency to extract the memories of the rape and Krum's confession. You cannot think about how Severus helped you at all, you must focus on those specific memories. I know that it will be painful for you, but this is the best chance we have of getting your education back at least the official education, the other professors and I would still have taught you. Although not in a class with peers seeing as educating you would technically be breaking the law, but we all agreed that it was best that we break the law and educate the brightest witch of her generation. We know how much you can do, and will do. Are you ready to do this?"

Hermione was ready to go but she was hesitant, "What happens Grandma if they refuse to grant the appeal."

"In the words of Rowena Ravenclaw, 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.' I can guarantee you that the entire staff values intellect, well almost the entire staff, Sybil is not the sharpest tool in the shed. With our values, to not teach you would be the biggest mistake of our lives. We couldn't care less about the law in this case. Hopefully we won't be forced to break the law, but just know this, if we have to, we will."

"Thanks Grandma, you know I don't know how I would get through this without you. The same goes for you Professor Snape."

Albus then spoke up and said, "Miss Granger, the appeal will be starting in fifteen minutes, I advise that you and your grandmother start making your way there. It will be held in my office."

"Are you ready to go dear?"

"I guess, it's nerve-wracking to think that my whole life depends on this."

"Let's go then dear."


	16. The Appeal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the standard disclaimer. I only own my plot.

Hermione POV:

The walk to Professor Dumbledore's office was quiet. I was too nervous to speak to anyone, even my grandmother. Before we went in my grandmother reminded me, "You are to address me as Professor McGonagall in front of the Board of Governors."

"Okay Professor"

We stood in front of the gargoyle and Professor McGonagall said to the gargoyle "Sherbet Lemon." That is so typical of Professor Dumbledore; the password is almost some variety of candy. The gargoyle stepped aside and allowed us to access the staircase. When we reached the top, I saw before me 12 people, alongside Professor Dumbledore. I only recognized three people out of the twelve that were in the group, Professor Tofty, Professor Grubbly-Plank, and Mr. Ollivander.

Professor McGonagall whispered to me, "From left to right the members of The Board of Governors are Professor Tofty, Miranda Goshawk, Violeta Stitch, Professor Grubbly-Plank, Wilbert Slinkhard, Wendy Slinkhard, Saul Croaker, Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus, Regulus Moonshine, Jacob Goldstein, Garrick Ollivander, and Thomas Brown. Jacob Goldstein is the father of Anthony Goldstein, a Ravenclaw in your year. Thomas Brown is the father of Lavender Brown, and given his daughter's promiscuous behavior, I have a feeling that he will vote in your favor as a precaution for Lavender."

Just then Professor Dumbledore began to address the Board, "We are here today to hear the appeal of the Expulsion of Miss Hermione Granger. She will be remaining in the castle no matter what the decision is because her Head of House has adopted her following her parent's kicking her out. Now we will be using legilimency and a pensive in this appeal since Veritaserum is not an option given the circumstances. I have asked Professor Severus Snape to use legilimency to obtain the memories that we will need. Professor Snape will then put the memories into this pensieve. Now lets begin."

When I heard Professor Snape say, "Legilimens" I focused as hard as I could on the memories of that Professor McGonagall told me to. The memories played back in my mind so vividly. When Professor Snape had finished collecting the memories I realized that there was someone's arms around me. I shouted, "Don't touch me."

I heard my grandmother's voice, "Dear it is only me, shh. You are safe now don't worry I will protect you. " I returned from the flashback to find out that I apparently had been crying out things like "Stop", and "Please don't hurt me" in terror. Grandma whispered in my ear, "Your reaction to seeing the memories may just work in your favor, seeing as the Board of Governors just witnessed an episode." I looked up with tears in my eyes to see most of the board just staring at me shocked by what they had just witnessed.

Minerva POV:

I don't see how making her see those memories again is in any way fair to her. Why do they need to traumatize her more? For Merlin's sake she even tried to break her way out of my embrace. That should prove she was attacked in and of its self. She really needs therapy and soon. I need to get her out of this appeal meeting; this kind of stress is just not healthy for her or her child.

"Albus, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to take Miss Granger to her room, I think that Miss Granger has been through enough already in this meeting that her remaining here would actually have negative impact on both her and the child. If you did not know despite the fact that this child may very well have ruined her life, she doesn't blame the child because in a sense her child is just as much a victim as she is. Since she intends to keep the child, because she doesn't want her child to be raised by abusive parents or in an orphanage, it would be appreciated if you were to allow me to take her away from this discussion about a traumatizing event that she has been put through."

"Of course, Minerva I will send Severus when a decision is reached."

I guided Hermione down the steps and back to our chambers. We just sat on the couch for a while, while I comforted her to the best of my ability.

Severus POV:

I am so glad that Lucius is no longer on the Board of Governors or the poor girl wouldn't stand a chance. I have a feeling that Albus had to make sure Lucius was unable to attend this meeting, seeing as he would have intimidated the members of the Board of Governors to vote his way.

I cannot believe these damn fools, can they not see that the poor girl is traumatized. I put her memories into the pensieve and waited as each individual member of the board dipped their head into the pensieve, watched the memories and lifted their head out of the pensieve with a horrified expression on their face.

After they had all viewed the memories Albus spoke, "Now on the matter of whether or not the Board of Governors will overturn its previous ruling on the matter of Miss Granger's expulsion. We will be doing a role call vote two thirds or more must vote in yea in order to overturn Miss Granger's expulsion and loss of her position as Head Girl. Nay will serve to uphold the Expulsion. I advise that you vote yea unless you want a furious Minerva McGonagall coming after you. Now lets begin.

"Professor Tofty on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"I met Miss Granger during her Ordinary Wizarding Levels, so I do know of her brilliance. It would be a shame to waste such talent. I vote yea."

"Miranda Goshawk on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"Based on what I saw in the pensieve as well as her reaction to seeing the memories again as they were extracted, I vote yea"

"Violeta Stitch on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"I would have to agree with Ms. Goshawk as to my reasons for my vote being yea."

"Professor Grubbly-Plank on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"I have taught Miss Granger before whilst Rubeus Hagrid was away, and based on my prior knowledge of her as well as what I saw in the pensieve, I vote yea."

"Wilbert Slinkhard on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"Based on the evidence presented I believe that we should reject the rule that is normally set in stone. I vote yea."

"Wendy Slinkhard on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"I believe that the way Miss Granger has been treated by those who were supposed to protect her is as unforgiveable as any of the unforgiveable curses. I vote yea."

"Saul Croaker on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"Since I don't want to doom the world by getting rid of the brightest witch of her generation, I vote yea."

"Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"If I were to have been in her shoes, I would hope that those who do have a say would overturn their prior decision. She clearly is traumatized. I vote yea."

"Regulus Moonshine on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"I saw a terrified girl, who has lived up to her Hogwarts house's values. The definition of Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the realization that what they fear must be done for something more important. I vote yea"

"Jacob Goldstein on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"As an intellectual I think that it is best to use common sense. The logic here dictates that to punish her is to reward the rapist, and as such realize that to punish her is counterintuitive. I vote yea"

"Garrick Ollivander on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"I knew that she would do something special when I first sold her a wand. I still believe she is destined for greatness and thus I vote yea."

"Thomas Brown on the matter of overturning Miss Grangers expulsion, how do you vote?"

"I cannot even imagine how my daughter Lavender would be coping with all that Miss Granger has gone through, and I commend Professor McGonagall for going above and beyond the call of duty to protect her student. I vote yea."

Dumbledore then announced, "With the votes being unanimously in favor of overturning the prior ruling, that ruling is now null and void. Severus you may go inform Miss Granger of the news. The hearing is over you are all dismissed.

Severus POV:

I can't believe that they actually admitted their mistake. I rushed to Minerva's chambers and I entered them.  
I announced, "The Board of Governors has unanimously decided that they should over turn their previous decision, given the evidence that was prevented. Congratulations Miss Granger!"

She jumped out of her seat, ran over to me, and hugged me. This time I was more than willing to return the hug. Contrary to popular belief I am not the cold bat of the dungeons; I just put on that façade so that I am taken seriously. If I didn't there would be far to many potions accidents, because students would be far more careless. I truly care about my students, well most of them at least.

"Some of the things that the board said about you were actually quite nice. Would you like to see what they said?"

"How? We don't have a pensieve."

Minerva then chimed in, "Actually dear we do have a pensieve. Severus are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes Minerva. Don't worry."

Minerva showed us to her pensieve, and I extracted the memories of what happened after they left. We all dipped our faces in and watched the scene unfold. When it was over and we had looked up. Hermione was in tears. Shit what have I done now. Minerva glared at me and said, "Severus I think its time you leave."

Knowing that it was better that I didn't upset Minerva as well I left but I couldn't help wondering what had upset Miss Granger.

Minerva POV:

I knew that was a bad idea. What was Severus thinking? Why is Hermione so upset though, all of the things that they said about her were positive?

"What is wrong dear?"

"It's what that guy, Regulus Moonshine said. He said that I lived up to the values of Gryffindor house, but I haven't. I am terrified all the time. I can't go one minute without thinking that someone is going to attack me again. I would be better off dead because at least then I wouldn't have to be terrified of virtually everyone around me. When I was found at Grimmauld Place, I was terrified, the worst part was when Mad-Eye grabbed me. He grabbed me in a manner similar to the way that Viktor did when he was taking me somewhere so that he could rape me." She was sobbing as she said this. It was heartbreaking to hear my granddaughter say to me that she would be better off dead.

"Dear, you embody the values of Gryffindor house. I assure you that you are not a coward; I actually am quite impressed by how well you have handled things so far. I was not able to handle it nearly as well. Let me show you something."

I rolled up my sleeve to show her the faded scars that covered my arm.

"Now you understand why I am insisting that you see a therapist. You see that one…" pointing to the scar that went from my wrist to the midpoint of my forearm "that was my attempt to end all my suffering. I almost succeeded to, but Poppy happened to notice that I wasn't at dinner. So she went to my private room, a perk that you get when you are Head Girl, and found me in the bathtub with my wrists slit. Poppy was already great with healing spells so she patched me up, so that the Mediwitch would not be needed, and thus not discover I was pregnant. She knew the instant she saw me what was happening, and despite her concern for me she did not tell anyone what had happened. She saw the razor blade that I had used in my attempt to kill myself. So she decided that she needed to put up wards on all the sharp objects I could obtain so that I would not be able to hurt myself. She also put a charm on me that would alert her if I were trying to hurt myself. She was always there when I needed someone to talk to, she even had snuck outside of her dormitory in the middle of the night on numerous occasions because her charm alerted her to the fact that I was trying to hurt myself. I couldn't see a therapist while at the school without it being a give away as to what had happened. My grades had fallen as a result of my absences from class because I was frequently 'ill'. It was more that I was having mental breakdowns, and I couldn't bear to be seen in that state by anyone other than Poppy. My Professors were all concerned but they couldn't figure out what was wrong. I told them that there was things going on at home that had been upsetting me a lot, which was not entirely a lie. I was so relieved when I realized that Christmas break was coming up soon. When I returned from break a month late my professors seemed concerned, but my grades had started to return to the way that they had been before and as such they became less and less concerned. I don't want you to be hurt any more than you already have been. I am glad that Poppy found me that day because if she hadn't, I would have succeeded and there wouldn't have been you."

"I am glad that Madam Pomfrey intervened as well, because I am so thankful that I have a grandmother like you. I can't believe that you actually tried to kill yourself. You have always seemed so brave, so strong."

"I was very weak right after it, but after a long, hard, road. I came out of the ordeal stronger, and I know that you are able to do the same. I will be there to help you through this, don't you worry. If anyone is giving you trouble, they will be answering to me. Now dear it is almost five-thirty, you should eat some dinner. Shall we head to the great hall or should we stay here and I cook something?"

"Can we just stay here, I would rather not be around people right now."

"Of course dear. Now what would you like to eat?"

"Can I have Ice Cream and Pickles?"

"Maybe for dessert. How about some chicken and a salad?"

"Okay" she said in a resigned tone.


	17. Preparing for the Storm

Chapter 17  
Minerva POV:  
As I was making dinner the muggle way I thought about what I need to get done. I am going to have to stock up on the foods that she has been asking for no matter how ridiculous they are. I really should make a to do list. There is so much that I need to do and I will never be able to keep track of everything if I don't make a list. I think I should discuss what to put on the list with Hermione. I finished making dinner and brought it over to the couch where Hermione was sitting. Normally I wouldn't allow for dinner to be on the couch, but given the fact that she was still upset, I didn't want to make her more upset than she already was. I sat down next to her, keeping a close eye on how much she was eating. Over dinner we discussed things that interested her, such as animagi, but after we finished I had to sit down and talk about something serious. Hopefully dinner gave her time to calm down.  
"Hermione, I was thinking as I made dinner. We need to come up with a to do list, a plan regarding classes, and a plan for after the child is born. I was thinking that we can work on the to do list after dinner. The rest we can handle another day, but you need to get a good nights sleep. I have a meeting with Andromeda Tonks to discuss your therapy. I was thinking that it might be best for her to do a full psychological evaluation before that discussion. Is that okay with you dear?"  
"I guess so but I really don't want to think about what happened. It's just too much."  
"That's what it is intended to help you with dear. I know you will never be the same person that you were, but it can help you come to terms with what has happened and take back control of your life instead of living in fear. Had I known sooner what had happened, even over the summer you could have owled me and told me that you needed to speak to me urgently and that you couldn't discuss it in an owl, I would have there in under an hour. I would have gotten you into therapy sooner, you may not have been my child in the eyes of the law, but you will always be one of my cubs."  
"I wish I had known that sooner!"  
"Now back to the list. What do you need to get done between now and when the baby is born? I have a few things on the list already. We need to make a nursery,  
I need to go shopping for all the foods you have cravings for, so please make me a list of those so that I don't need to run out in the middle of the night. Can you think of anything else that we really need to get done?"  
"Well I can't think of anything, but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything to do."  
"Okay dear, do you have anything you wish to discuss with me? Any questions, concerns?"  
"Yeah actually I have a few questions"  
"As you always do. What are they my dear?"  
"Will I be able to take potions this term?"  
"Hmm, I hadn't thought about that one. I will ask Severus and Poppy what they think."  
"How often will I have to be in therapy, and how will that affect my education?"  
"It won't affect any of your classes, but we will not know the treatment plan until after our meeting with Mrs. Tonks tomorrow."  
"That's all I had to ask right now but I know I will come up with more later."  
"I will answer them for you when they come up. So let me go get dessert and then we can either chat or just sit by the fireplace and read."  
"Okay grandma"  
I went to the freezer and got out the chocolate ice cream. I scooped some into two bowls, one for each of us, before I grabbed the pickles out of the refrigerator and put a few on a plate for Hermione.  
"Here you are dear, your pickles and ice cream."  
"Thanks grandma"  
"Hermione, before I forget, I have a little present for you"  
I grabbed a box from under my coffee table and I handed it to her. Inside of the box there was a journal and a necklace that matched the ones I have. The journal was a scarlet colour and it had a lion embossed on the cover. The necklace was a golden lion with a ruby where the heart would be. The only difference was that my necklace was a fully-grown lion, and hers was a lion cub. "This will allow you to contact me at any time, if you write urgent, mine is charmed to alert me by beeping. I trust you will use it responsibly. I also have this necklace that if you are in an emergency will cause mine to heat up and if it detects that you are going into labor, it will cause mine to roar. Now the issue is that I don't have a way to locate you easily when the charms set my necklace off. I know that someone has a map that will show me where everyone is in the school. The last location that I know it was in for sure is Filch's office and that was years ago. I presume the Weasley twins stole it from Filch, but I have no proof of that. If I am not mistaken though it is now in the hands of Mr. Potter. I won't confiscate it, but I do need to find out how it was made so that I can make a copy for me to use when there is an emergency."  
"Grandma, its called the Marauders map. Surely you can recall the four of your cubs who made it?"  
"Of course, but they are all dead or follow You Know Who."  
"You're forgetting Moony"  
"Of course! How could I forget Remus was a Marauder? I shall have to ask him to make another one. That's all that I really needed to discuss with you tonight. So unless you have something that you would like to discuss, you can go do something. I would like you to be in bed at nine o'clock, you need your rest and you've got a long day tomorrow."  
Hermione was about to object to the bedtime, but she realized there was no point in arguing about it. She knew that I wouldn't acquiesce to her demands. She rolled her eyes and said in a disgruntled tone, "Okay."  
"Now dear I realize that I have yet to show you my library. It contains at least one hundred books that are by muggle authors. It's right over here." I said leading her to my library.  
She gasped, "It's Beautiful!" Obviously shocked by the size of my collection. I have always been a bibliophile, which I guess she got from me. She selected a book from my collection. I looked at the title of the book and noticed that it was "A Winter's Tale" by William Shakespeare.  
"Ah, that is one of my favorites. I love how despite the Queen of Sicily's death, she is brought back to life. You know in a sense you are like the queen, whom you share your name with. You have been to hell and back, whereas she died. You also lost a part of you, yet here you are bouncing back. Where the King is devastated by the death of his wife, those who know what happened are devastated by the fact we almost lost you. The queen and you have more that just that in common, you also share a name."  
"This has actually always been my favorite Shakespeare play. My mother always stressed the importance of literature. She loved this play so much that she named me after a character in it. Grandma, do you think that we can go see a muggle play together sometime?"  
"Of course we can dear. Is there anything else you would like to do? We still have eleven days until school resumes, and it would be rather boring to just sit around here all day, but you cannot leave the castle without someone who I have approved to accompany you. I do not want you to be kidnapped again."  
"I would like to go shopping, I need to get clothing that will fit me this year. We will have to go to muggle London for that though seeing as the Wizarding World will not take so kindly to me, not to mention the chance that we will run into Death Eaters if we go to Diagon Alley."  
"Okay we can do that on Saturday. There is only one issue with shopping in muggle London for your clothing. Muggle London does not carry your school uniform. Perhaps Filius and I can come up with a charm to make your uniforms adjust to fit you as your pregnancy progresses."  
"Okay that I guess that will work."  
"Anything else that you would like to do before school resumes?"  
"I can't really think of anything that I want to do, that I can still do since I am pregnant."  
"Well the library is always there and I am sure Hagrid would be glad to have your company."  
"Is there a way I could have a muggle laptop or something like that so that I don't need to carry as much around with me? I could type my notes out and when I am in the common room do my homework on parchment."  
"I don't think that Muggle technology will work within Hogwarts, and even if it does we do not have power outlets to charge it."  
"I am sure we can charm something to make it a power source, or transfigure something into a power source. You are excellent at transfiguration, and your extremely brilliant. Surely you can think of something. It will make it so much easier for me to keep organized with all the other things on my mind."  
"I will do what I can dear, but I cannot make any promises."  
"That's all I can ask of you"  
She read for about an hour while I was working on preparing my lesson plans. It was nearing seven thirty pm; I want her to go to bed early tonight because she needs some sleep and she has a long day ahead of her. I don't want to upset her though by setting a bedtime of sorts. If I want her in bed by eight o'clock I will have to ease her into it. I have a lot of work to do before term starts so I can't be around all the time. I don't think I should leave her alone though given the circumstances. I could leave her with Poppy, but I don't want her to be so bored. Irma isn't busy other than organizing the shelves, and I am sure Hermione wouldn't mind that, but I really don't want her to be isolating herself from her peers. I think that it would be a good idea for her to have a friend staying at the castle for the rest of the summer holidays so that she will have someone to hang out with while I get my classes ready for the start of term. My only concern is that most of her friends are male and I don't want to leave her alone with a boy, for fear that could be a trigger for her.  
"So that you aren't bored waiting for school to start, would you like me to arrange for someone to come stay at the castle, so that you have someone to hang out with? I could ask Molly if she would let Ginny come and stay here until term starts."  
"I don't want to hang out with Ginny because with the way that her mother reacted, and the way that her brother responded. Not to mention Ron probably has been telling them lies about me since I rejected his proposal earlier. I don't really want to hear Ginny tell me I made a mistake, when it isn't even my fault. Not to mention the fact that she will be judging me."  
"Would you like another one of your friends to come stay? If I recall you became quite close with Miss Lovegood last year. I highly doubt that Miss Lovegood would judge you. She is such a nice girl, and her peers also judge her. I don't think that you should be secluding yourself from people your own age because of the circumstances."  
"I guess Luna would be okay. I don't really want to be around anyone my age, but I know I will be around others my age in less than two weeks anyway."  
"Why don't you go get ready for bed? I will send the Lovegoods an owl asking if Luna would be permitted to come stay with us for the rest of the Summer Holidays."  
"Okay Grandma, but why do I have to get ready for bed right now? It is only seven-forty?"  
"You have an extremely long day tomorrow and it may be stressful. The lack of sleep combined with the stress is not good for you or the baby. I will not be setting a bed time for you during term but if you are not getting enough sleep, I would not put it past Poppy to insist on you staying in that private room in the hospital wing. Trust me Poppy will know and if you aren't complying with what she says she will admit you to the hospital wing, and by that I mean confining you to the hospital wing, even if it means you will not be attending classes. I would rather that you remain in classes for as long as possible. I presume that you agree with me."  
"That sounds really extreme. Are you sure that she would do that?"  
"I am positive. I would not test it."  
"Okay Grandma. I am going to get ready for bed."  
"Goodnight dear. Wait, I almost forgot to tell you that you are not to put silencing charms on your room at night. If you have a nightmare, I would rather be woken up so that I can help you calm down as opposed to you waking up in a state of distress. Am I understood?"  
"Yes Grandma"  
After Hermione had gone into her room to get ready for bed, I sat down to write the letter to the Lovegoods inviting Luna to come up to the castle early.  
Dear Miss Lovegood,  
You are invited to return to the Hogwarts as early as tomorrow. Transportation will be provided. You are probably wondering why I am inviting you to return early. I recently adopted a student who was disowned by her parents following a traumatic event. I would prefer that she does not isolate herself from her peers. Given the nature of the traumatic event, her two best friends would not be the ideal people for her to spend time with. Her other closest friend is the younger sister of one of her best friends. The next closest person to her just happens to be you. If you have not already figured out who this student is, this student is none other than Hermione Granger. Before you speak with her, I will need to explain the full situation so that you do not broach on the nature of the situation that led to her being adopted. I do hope that you will accept this invitation. Your presence would be extremely helpful not only for me, but it will possibly help her in the process of recovering from the traumatic events of this past summer. I know that you are an extremely sweet and caring young lady and I hope to hear back from you soon.  
Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
I decided that I should leave out my titles seeing as this is completely unrelated to official Hogwarts business. I truly hope that she accepts my invitation. I tied the letter to the leg of my owl and told my owl to take that letter to the Lovegood residence. Hermione isn't the only one with a long day ahead of her so I decided that I should get some sleep as well.  
Chapter 17  
Minerva POV:  
As I was making dinner the muggle way I thought about what I need to get done. I am going to have to stock up on the foods that she has been asking for no matter how ridiculous they are. I really should make a to do list. There is so much that I need to do and I will never be able to keep track of everything if I don't make a list. I think I should discuss what to put on the list with Hermione. I finished making dinner and brought it over to the couch where Hermione was sitting. Normally I wouldn't allow for dinner to be on the couch, but given the fact that she was still upset, I didn't want to make her more upset than she already was. I sat down next to her, keeping a close eye on how much she was eating. Over dinner we discussed things that interested her, such as animagi, but after we finished I had to sit down and talk about something serious. Hopefully dinner gave her time to calm down.  
"Hermione, I was thinking as I made dinner. We need to come up with a to do list, a plan regarding classes, and a plan for after the child is born. I was thinking that we can work on the to do list after dinner. The rest we can handle another day, but you need to get a good nights sleep. I have a meeting with Andromeda Tonks to discuss your therapy. I was thinking that it might be best for her to do a full psychological evaluation before that discussion. Is that okay with you dear?"  
"I guess so but I really don't want to think about what happened. It's just too much."  
"That's what it is intended to help you with dear. I know you will never be the same person that you were, but it can help you come to terms with what has happened and take back control of your life instead of living in fear. Had I known sooner what had happened, even over the summer you could have owled me and told me that you needed to speak to me urgently and that you couldn't discuss it in an owl, I would have there in under an hour. I would have gotten you into therapy sooner, you may not have been my child in the eyes of the law, but you will always be one of my cubs."  
"I wish I had known that sooner!"  
"Now back to the list. What do you need to get done between now and when the baby is born? I have a few things on the list already. We need to make a nursery,  
I need to go shopping for all the foods you have cravings for, so please make me a list of those so that I don't need to run out in the middle of the night. Can you think of anything else that we really need to get done?"  
"Well I can't think of anything, but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything to do."  
"Okay dear, do you have anything you wish to discuss with me? Any questions, concerns?"  
"Yeah actually I have a few questions"  
"As you always do. What are they my dear?"  
"Will I be able to take potions this term?"  
"Hmm, I hadn't thought about that one. I will ask Severus and Poppy what they think."  
"How often will I have to be in therapy, and how will that affect my education?"  
"It won't affect any of your classes, but we will not know the treatment plan until after our meeting with Mrs. Tonks tomorrow."  
"That's all I had to ask right now but I know I will come up with more later."  
"I will answer them for you when they come up. So let me go get dessert and then we can either chat or just sit by the fireplace and read."  
"Okay grandma"  
I went to the freezer and got out the chocolate ice cream. I scooped some into two bowls, one for each of us, before I grabbed the pickles out of the refrigerator and put a few on a plate for Hermione.  
"Here you are dear, your pickles and ice cream."  
"Thanks grandma"  
"Hermione, before I forget, I have a little present for you"  
I grabbed a box from under my coffee table and I handed it to her. Inside of the box there was a journal and a necklace that matched the ones I have. The journal was a scarlet colour and it had a lion embossed on the cover. The necklace was a golden lion with a ruby where the heart would be. The only difference was that my necklace was a fully-grown lion, and hers was a lion cub. "This will allow you to contact me at any time, if you write urgent, mine is charmed to alert me by beeping. I trust you will use it responsibly. I also have this necklace that if you are in an emergency will cause mine to heat up and if it detects that you are going into labor, it will cause mine to roar. Now the issue is that I don't have a way to locate you easily when the charms set my necklace off. I know that someone has a map that will show me where everyone is in the school. The last location that I know it was in for sure is Filch's office and that was years ago. I presume the Weasley twins stole it from Filch, but I have no proof of that. If I am not mistaken though it is now in the hands of Mr. Potter. I won't confiscate it, but I do need to find out how it was made so that I can make a copy for me to use when there is an emergency."  
"Grandma, its called the Marauders map. Surely you can recall the four of your cubs who made it?"  
"Of course, but they are all dead or follow You Know Who."  
"You're forgetting Moony"  
"Of course! How could I forget Remus was a Marauder? I shall have to ask him to make another one. That's all that I really needed to discuss with you tonight. So unless you have something that you would like to discuss, you can go do something. I would like you to be in bed at nine o'clock, you need your rest and you've got a long day tomorrow."  
Hermione was about to object to the bedtime, but she realized there was no point in arguing about it. She knew that I wouldn't acquiesce to her demands. She rolled her eyes and said in a disgruntled tone, "Okay."  
"Now dear I realize that I have yet to show you my library. It contains at least one hundred books that are by muggle authors. It's right over here." I said leading her to my library.  
She gasped, "It's Beautiful!" Obviously shocked by the size of my collection. I have always been a bibliophile, which I guess she got from me. She selected a book from my collection. I looked at the title of the book and noticed that it was "A Winter's Tale" by William Shakespeare.  
"Ah, that is one of my favorites. I love how despite the Queen of Sicily's death, she is brought back to life. You know in a sense you are like the queen, whom you share your name with. You have been to hell and back, whereas she died. You also lost a part of you, yet here you are bouncing back. Where the King is devastated by the death of his wife, those who know what happened are devastated by the fact we almost lost you. The queen and you have more that just that in common, you also share a name."  
"This has actually always been my favorite Shakespeare play. My mother always stressed the importance of literature. She loved this play so much that she named me after a character in it. Grandma, do you think that we can go see a muggle play together sometime?"  
"Of course we can dear. Is there anything else you would like to do? We still have eleven days until school resumes, and it would be rather boring to just sit around here all day, but you cannot leave the castle without someone who I have approved to accompany you. I do not want you to be kidnapped again."  
"I would like to go shopping, I need to get clothing that will fit me this year. We will have to go to muggle London for that though seeing as the Wizarding World will not take so kindly to me, not to mention the chance that we will run into Death Eaters if we go to Diagon Alley."  
"Okay we can do that on Saturday. There is only one issue with shopping in muggle London for your clothing. Muggle London does not carry your school uniform. Perhaps Filius and I can come up with a charm to make your uniforms adjust to fit you as your pregnancy progresses."  
"Okay that I guess that will work."  
"Anything else that you would like to do before school resumes?"  
"I can't really think of anything that I want to do, that I can still do since I am pregnant."  
"Well the library is always there and I am sure Hagrid would be glad to have your company."  
"Is there a way I could have a muggle laptop or something like that so that I don't need to carry as much around with me? I could type my notes out and when I am in the common room do my homework on parchment."  
"I don't think that Muggle technology will work within Hogwarts, and even id it does we do not have power outlets to charge it."  
"I am sure we can charm something to make it a power source, or transfigure something into a power source. You are excellent at transfiguration, and your extremely brilliant. Surely you can think of something. It will make it so much easier for me to keep organized with all the other things on my mind."  
"I will do what I can dear, but I cannot make any promises."  
"That's all I can ask of you"  
She read for about an hour while I was working on preparing my lesson plans. It was nearing seven thirty pm; I want her to go to bed early tonight because she needs some sleep and she has a long day ahead of her. I don't want to upset her though by setting a bedtime of sorts. If I want her in bed by eight o'clock I will have to ease her into it. I have a lot of work to do before term starts so I can't be around all the time. I don't think I should leave her alone though given the circumstances. I could leave her with Poppy, but I don't want her to be so bored. Irma isn't busy other than organizing the shelves, and I am sure Hermione wouldn't mind that, but I really don't want her to be isolating herself from her peers. I think that it would be a good idea for her to have a friend staying at the castle for the rest of the summer holidays so that she will have someone to hang out with while I get my classes ready for the start of term. My only concern is that most of her friends are male and I don't want to leave her alone with a boy, for fear that could be a trigger for her.  
"So that you aren't bored waiting for school to start, would you like me to arrange for someone to come stay at the castle, so that you have someone to hang out with? I could ask Molly if she would let Ginny come and stay here until term starts."  
"I don't want to hang out with Ginny because with the way that her mother reacted, and the way that her brother responded. Not to mention Ron probably has been telling them lies about me since I rejected his proposal earlier. I don't really want to hear Ginny tell me I made a mistake, when it isn't even my fault. Not to mention the fact that she will be judging me."  
"Would you like another one of your friends to come stay? If I recall you became quite close with Miss Lovegood last year. I highly doubt that Miss Lovegood would judge you. She is such a nice girl, and her peers also judge her. I don't think that you should be secluding yourself from people your own age because of the circumstances."  
"I guess Luna would be okay. I don't really want to be around anyone my age, but I know I will be around others my age in less than two weeks anyway."  
"Why don't you go get ready for bed? I will send the Lovegoods an owl asking if Luna would be permitted to come stay with us for the rest of the Summer Holidays."  
"Okay Grandma, but why do I have to get ready for bed right now? It is only seven-forty?"  
"You have an extremely long day tomorrow and it may be stressful. The lack of sleep combined with the stress is not good for you or the baby. I will not be setting a bed time for you during term but if you are not getting enough sleep, I would not put it past Poppy to insist on you staying in that private room in the hospital wing. Trust me Poppy will know and if you aren't complying with what she says she will admit you to the hospital wing, and by that I mean confining you to the hospital wing, even if it means you will not be attending classes. I would rather that you remain in classes for as long as possible. I presume that you agree with me."  
"That sounds really extreme. Are you sure that she would do that?"  
"I am positive. I would not test it."  
"Okay Grandma. I am going to get ready for bed."  
"Goodnight dear. Wait, I almost forgot to tell you that you are not to put silencing charms on your room at night. If you have a nightmare, I would rather be woken up so that I can help you calm down as opposed to you waking up in a state of distress. Am I understood?"  
"Yes Grandma"  
After Hermione had gone into her room to get ready for bed, I sat down to write the letter to the Lovegoods inviting Luna to come up to the castle early.  
Dear Miss Lovegood,  
You are invited to return to the Hogwarts as early as tomorrow. Transportation will be provided. You are probably wondering why I am inviting you to return early. I recently adopted a student who was disowned by her parents following a traumatic event. I would prefer that she does not isolate herself from her peers. Given the nature of the traumatic event, her two best friends would not be the ideal people for her to spend time with. Her other closest friend is the younger sister of one of her best friends. The next closest person to her just happens to be you. If you have not already figured out who this student is, this student is none other than Hermione Granger. Before you speak with her, I will need to explain the full situation so that you do not broach on the nature of the situation that led to her being adopted. I do hope that you will accept this invitation. Your presence would be extremely helpful not only for me, but it will possibly help her in the process of recovering from the traumatic events of this past summer. I know that you are an extremely sweet and caring young lady and I hope to hear back from you soon.  
Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
I decided that I should leave out my titles seeing as this is completely unrelated to official Hogwarts business. I truly hope that she accepts my invitation. I tied the letter to the leg of my owl and told my owl to take that letter to the Lovegood residence. Hermione isn't the only one with a long day ahead of her so I decided that I should get some sleep as well.


	18. The Therapist

Minerva POV:  
I woke up to the sound of screaming coming from Hermione's room. I rushed in there as quickly as I could. She was thrashing around, entangling herself in her covers. I sat down on her bed and held her in my arms. I stroked her hair and spoke softly to her telling her that she was safe. I looked over at the clock, and it was three am. She was calm again and I didn't have to wake her up. I went back to sleep and awoke four hours later at seven. I was just about to start getting ready when I again heard Hermione having a nightmare. I hurried to her room and I again found her thrashing around. I decided that I should do what I did the last time to sooth her. I don't want to wake her up, but I also don't want her to wake up from a nightmare without me around to reassure her that she is safe. I sat there holding her in my arms for about and hour before she woke up.  
"Good Morning Dear"  
"Grandma? What are you doing here?"  
"You were having a nightmare about an hour ago, your second major nightmare of the night, since I was already awake I decide that I might as well calm you down in a way that would not require me to wake you up. I wanted to allow you to sleep. Now since you are awake, you should probably get ready and eat something. There is no question about eating, you are to eat something, but I will not force you to eat something specific. Even if it all you have to eat are biscuits. Remember you are meeting with Andromeda Tonks this morning at ten. "  
"Oh shit I forgot about that."  
"Watch your language dear."  
"Sorry, I just am not really ready to talk about what happened, and with someone I don't know that just makes it harder for me."  
"I know dear, trust me I know but this will help you in the long run. You have been through a lot of trauma that made you feel very vulnerable, and unfortunately this is a long uphill battle, and I would be shocked if you didn't have at least one setback. Now go get ready dear, and I will fetch you some ginger newts."  
"Fine" Hermione said as she rolled her eyes. I usually wouldn't put up with an attitude like that but with tensions running high, it's probably best to overlook it this time.  
I went to my office and grabbed the tin of ginger newts that was always on my desk. I need to remember to keep some ginger newts in my chambers at least while Hermione is staying in my chambers with me. When I returned to my chambers, I saw my owl with a letter attached to it. The letter was on parchment that was dyed a bright yellow color. I untied the letter from my owl's leg, and gave my owl a treat. The opened the letter and I instantly noticed that it was written in bright purple ink. I knew before I read it that this could be from none other than Miss Lovegood. The letter read  
Dear Professor McGonagall,  
Thank you for the invitation to return to school early. I am excited to return. I never thought that anyone actually considered me as a close friend. I cannot wait to see Hermione! Does the issue with Hermione involve Nargles? Do I need to bring my Nargle Repellant? I can come at two o'clock today if that works for you.  
-Luna Lovegood.  
Phew, someone Hermione's age will be coming to spend time with her. I looked up to see that Hermione had emerged from her room for breakfast. I looked at the clock and it said that it was already nine o'clock. How did the time pass so quickly?  
"Hermione dear, I have the ginger newts here and I made you a cup of tea. I have to go finish getting ready for the day, but I will return shortly."  
I went into the bathroom and took a shower. I put on my usual green robes, and brushed out my hair, carefully putting it into a nice neat bun. I was ready in about half an hour. I sat down at the table with Hermione and had some tea and biscuits as well. I had to choose relatively bland foods because I didn't want to have anything that was too strong smelling in my chambers because I remembered strong smells only made the nausea from morning sickness worse.  
"Grandma, Do I have to talk to this woman? I don't even feel comfortable discussing what happened with you. How can you expect me to discuss it with a stranger?"  
"Hermione, it will always be awkward to discuss what happened with me because I am your grandmother. I do recognize that it is not only embarrassing, but also difficult for a girl that is your age to discuss things of a sexual nature with you mother, let alone your grandmother, but I feel that it is necessary for me to remind you that being raped is not having sex; it is not even remotely close to being the same thing. You should not be embarrassed to seek help. I would rather have awkward conversations with you as opposed to finding that you have been hurting yourself or discovering your body, if god forbids, you decided to commit suicide. It is in no way an easy topic to discuss but I would prefer that to the alternatives. Whoever you speak to, it will be awkward. The difference is that she is actually qualified to help you through the trauma." Just as I had finished speaking I heard a knocking on the door. I got up to open it and greeted Andromeda Tonks.  
"Come on in Andromeda. It's good to see you again although I wish the circumstances were different."  
"It is good to see you as well. Please just call me Andy. Now I don't believe that I have met Hermione."  
"You haven't met her yet, but she is a brilliant young lady, who has been through a lot this past summer. She does not seem to keen on the idea of therapy because she is embarrassed by what happened. She does not want to talk to anyone about what happened, especially not a stranger. It may take you a little while to get through to her."  
"I am sure that you know that before you and I can come up with a treatment plan I will need to evaluate her."  
"Yes, now let me introduce you to Hermione. Hermione, this is Andromeda Tonks. Andy this is Hermione. Now Hermione, in order for her to accurately assess where your treatment needs to begin, and the intensity of your treatment, Andy will have to speak with you alone. I will be in my library if you need me."  
Hermione POV:  
How could my grandma do this to me? She is leaving me alone with someone I don't know.  
"Hermione, I need to ask you a few questions. If you are uncomfortable answering them then let me know, that info helps me to develop a treatment plan."  
"I have one question of my own first. How the hell do you think that you can help me? This isn't something they can teach."  
"I can actually understand what you are going through,"  
"No you couldn't. There is no way you can understand unless, unless you went through this as well. Were you raped when you were still in Hogwarts?"  
"Your grandmother told me you were smart. I can see that she wasn't kidding."  
"What happened exactly? If you tell me I will answer your questions."  
Andy responded "Okay that's completely fair. Now where do I begin? After I discovered I was pregnant I knew that I had to do something. I ran away from home, and so they searched for me when I didn't return to school. Your grandmother was the one who found me actually, and I knew that she would force me to return. I thought at least she was female unlike my Head of House. I was in Slytherin albeit unhappily. I knew I would have a better chance at least of not being expelled if the person I told was a woman. I was shocked when your grandmother told me that she would actually help me to conceal the pregnancy and give the child up for adoption. Your grandmother took the place of my parents in 1968 when I had realized that I could not explain the situation that I was in to either of my parents without severe consequences. She taught me a charm that allowed me to hide the growing baby bump. She was able to find a therapist who specialized in helping rape victims. The only person she could find though was a muggle, so she would arrange appointments and sneak me out of the castle. When Dumbledore figured out that something was up, she explained to him that I had run away from home after being raped and that my parents would not understand. She told him that I was traumatized by the attack and that she had been helping me leave the castle so that I could get the necessary therapy that would help me get through that trauma. She helped me to fake a mental breakdown that would keep me in the hospital wing for about a month so that when I went into labor I wouldn't be in classes. I had stayed in a private room, and officially Madam Pomfrey was the only person allowed in, but there was a secret passage between your grandmother's chambers and that room where I was staying. She was at my side when I gave birth to my daughter. She had comforted me the entire time. Giving up my daughter was probably the toughest thing that I ever had to do, but even then she just seemed to know exactly how to comfort me. She used that passage she snuck my daughter out of the castle and left her on the steps of a muggle orphanage; she knocked on the door before transforming into her animagus form to watch and make sure that my daughter was safe before she returned to the castle. I didn't understand why she helped me, but it makes complete sense now. You are seventeen, while your grandmother is only 62. If your parents kicked you out for getting pregnant so young then obviously they didn't have you when they were teenagers. In the muggle world at the time you were born most people had children in their mid to late twenty's. If I take the average of twenty-five and thirty, I get twenty-seven. Since you were born in 1979, and my estimate puts your parents at around twenty-seven, I subtract twenty-seven from 1979 to get 1952. Your grandmother was in her early to mid thirty's when she taught me. If I were to guess, she was about thirty-four when I was a seventh year. So by subtracting my age from hers, would put her at about seventeen when I was born. If I am not mistaken one of your parents was born within a year of me. With your parents being my age, and your grandmother being seventeen years older than I am. It only makes sense that she was also a teenage mother; otherwise she wouldn't have been so sympathetic. Do you know if that is actually what happened? Then I will start asking the real questions."  
"Yes, she had my father when she was seventeen. My father is a squib who was raised by muggles."  
"Okay, that makes so much more sense now. Now I need you to fill out this form. It is called the GHQ-28. You can answer these questions four different ways. The possible answers you can give are Not at all, No worse than usual, rather worse than usual, and much worse than usual. There are twenty-eight questions, please answer them honestly. This will make it easier for me to help you. Here is a quill, do not rush. I will not judge you on your response but it will help me to treat you properly. For the first seven questions, I will need you to think back to before the pregnancy symptoms set in. Do you understand?"  
"Yes"  
She handed me the form with all the questions. I read through all the questions before I started. Some of the questions asking things like, "Have you been feeling perfectly well and in good health?" Seemed a bit ridiculous because obviously with morning sickness I wouldn't be, although that was in the first seven questions. Even before the symptoms of pregnancy became noticeable I had still had to answer most of the first seven questions as "much worse than usual." The next seven questions were questions that seemed to be asking about anxiety following the attack. Again for most of the questions my response was "much worse than usual." The next seven questions appeared to be about the function level that I perceived myself to be functioning at currently. I really should just write all the answers as "much worse than usual," because that's what they are for the most part. The last seven questions were basically asking how depressed I am. I am scared that if I answer honestly for the ones about suicide that they might lock me up in the hospital wing. I often wish that I were dead. She did tell me to answer honestly though, which I guess I should do if I want to get better. Then again if I answer honestly treatment will take much longer especially because all of my answers in this section were "much worse than usual."  
"I finished the questionnaire"  
"Okay, now let me take this into the other room and score it.  
"Okay" I said nervously.  
She walked into the library with the questionnaire, could she be going over it with my grandmother? Shit, I knew I should have lied. Now grandma is going to baby me more than she already does. I waited anxiously for her to return. She returned with my grandmother, both wearing serious expressions. My grandma spoke first.


	19. Off The Charts and Off the Walls

Chapter 19  
Last time:  
"I finished the questionnaire"  
"Okay, now let me take this into the other room and score it.  
"Okay" I said nervously.  
She walked into the library with the questionnaire, could she be going over it with my grandmother? Shit, I knew I should have lied. Now grandma is going to baby me more than she already does. I waited anxiously for her to return. She returned with my grandmother, both wearing serious expressions. My grandma spoke first.  
Minerva POV:  
"Andy, what do her scores look like?"  
"Minerva, I don't know how to tell you this, but she is doing far worse than I could have imagined. Look at her answers for the last seven questions"  
I looked down at the paper and gasped, "She wants to kill herself! How could I have not noticed? I am a horrible grandmother! What do you think we should do?"  
"I think intensive therapy for the rest of the time leading up to the start of term. I recommend three hours a day, and when term starts, it will be reduced to one hour a day. I really hope that she takes it well, because well telling her this may upset her more. Then again, not telling her would only make her angrier in the end. The pregnancy messing with her hormones will make this so much worse."  
Hermione POV:  
"Hermione dear, are these answers completely honest?" she said her voice quivering as she spoke. It looked like she was about to cry.  
I honestly answered, "Yes." That was the breaking point; my grandmother broke down into tears when she heard it. Shit, this is bad, like really bad. She is disappointed in me, what if she abandons me? I should have killed myself when I had the chance. "I'm sorry grandma that I disappointed you so much. I don't want to be a burden and it seems like my presence is just making you more upset. I'm so sorry, I'll just go now."  
She snapped out of the tears and said, "No dear, you will not be leaving. I am not upset with you. I am upset with myself for failing to realize how severely you have been impacted by the situation. I don't want to lose you my dear. I am just concerned about your wellbeing. Please don't go."  
Then Andy spoke up saying, "Upon going over your answers and realizing the true severity of the situation, we have decided that it is best to not have you left alone. That being said, before school starts again we believe that intensive therapy is the best course of action. That will consist of at least three hours of therapy a day leading up to school, which we will then reduce to one hour a day. Now that might seem excessive, but we both believe that with scores like that, it is better to be safe than sorry."  
My grandmother decided that now was a good time to add that there was yet another thing they would be doing to "protect" me. "That necklace I gave you will also alert me if you are self-harming. If you are self harming, it will glow bright red. That necklace is charmed so that only I can remove it. I do not want to seem over bearing, but I do want to keep you safe."  
"Are you guys kidding me? You tell me to be honest and when I am, I get punished! That's the last time I trust either of you!" I screamed as I stormed out of my grandmother's chambers with the journal in hand. I ran for a long time trying to throw them off before I hid in the Room of Requirement. I have a number of muggle friends who tell me that cutting helps them. Maybe it will help me blow off steam. I looked around me the room and I spotted a set of sturdy looking blades. This will show her. I picked up one of the blades and brought it to the skin of my left forearm. I felt the cool metal as it sliced through my skin leaving a string of red pearls in its wake. It felt kind of good, so I made another line across my arm, the bright red contrasting with my pale skin. This will show her. Lets write her a note in the journal.  
Hello "Grandma",  
If you can't tell, I don't give a damn that you guys are trying to find me. There is no chance in hell that I will tell you where I am. I do not intend to leave my hiding place and there is no way you can reach me. I am already off castle grounds. You made a HUGE mistake by betraying my trust. I never want to see you again, EVER. You can go to hell for all I care.  
-Hermione  
P.S I am about to burn this fucking journal.  
I can't wait till she reads that. This will be entertaining to see her try to respond but get no response. She will freak out. Now let the games begin.  
Minerva POV:  
"Where could she have gone? Andy, can you help me look for her? You take the bottom floors; I will take the top floors. I will send a patronus to the rest of the staff telling them to keep an eye out for her and if she turns up distract her long enough for us to reach them."  
"Minerva, time is of the essence, lets go."  
I saw her journal was missing, but my journal was still there. I grabbed the journal, and started moving to the astronomy tower. I really hope that I am wrong here, but if she is going to kill herself, the astronomy tower seems like an ideal place to do so. As I was rushing there, I sent my patronus to Severus, "Severus I need you to alert Remus. Tell him to get to the castle immediately. Hermione is missing, and she is suicidal. His sense of smell will be extremely helpful. Also ask him if he knows where the Marauders map is. If he knows where it is tell him to grab it, and start looking for her. Tell him to floo through the hospital wing. Poppy needs to be on stand by. Please alert him first and then start looking for her yourself. - Minerva"  
I was out of breath by the time I reached the astronomy tower, which was thankfully empty. I looked over the edge, and thankfully I did not see her body.  
As I was looking down I noticed my necklace was glowing bright red. I immediately sent a patronus to Andy, "She is hurting herself"  
Severus POV:  
I was organizing my ingredients storage room, when I saw Minerva's patronus.  
In a frantic tone it said "Severus I need you to alert Remus. Tell him to get to the castle immediately. Hermione is missing, and she is suicidal. His sense of smell will be extremely helpful. Also ask him if he knows where the Marauders map is. If he knows where it is tell him to grab it, and start looking for her. Tell him to floo through the hospital wing. Poppy needs to be on stand by. Please alert him first and then start looking for her yourself. - Minerva"  
Shit, why wasn't I at that meeting. Now isn't the time though for me to yell at Minerva. I need to find Hermione.  
I sent my patronus to Remus, "Get to the castle now! Floo in through the Hospital wing, and tell Poppy that Hermione has gone Absent Without Leave. According to Minerva, she is suicidal. I know about that damn map you and your friends made, bring it here right now and help us search. If I am not mistaken, Mister Potter has it. Your condition will be helpful because of your heightened sense of smell. If you find her send Minerva a patronus."  
If I were to be hiding where would I go? Could she be in the Forbidden forest? That seems like it would be the place no one would look. I am going to go look there. I ran out onto the grounds and into the forest screaming "Hermione, if you are out there please talk to me."  
Remus POV:  
I was at Grimmauld place with Harry and a few others when I Severus's patronus came to me yelling.  
"Get to the castle now! Floo in through the Hospital wing, and tell Poppy that Hermione has gone Absent Without Leave. According to Minerva, she is suicidal. I know about that damn map you and your friends made, bring it here right now and help us search. If I am not mistaken, Mister Potter has it. Your condition will be helpful because of your heightened sense of smell. If you find her send Minerva a patronus."  
"Harry, get me the marauders map. I will give it back later but I need it right now. It is a life or death situation"  
Harry had already darted upstairs to his trunk to retrieve the map.  
"Here it is, let's go."  
I grabbed a handful of floo powder and said clearly, "Hogwarts Hospital Wing"  
Poppy saw me arrive and asked, "Remus what are you doing here?"  
"Hermione is missing and suicidal. Stay here and be ready. We won't know what condition she will be in when we find her."  
Harry had followed me with the map. "She's not on the map professor!"  
"There is only one place she could be then. The room of requirement! Hurry, we don't know how long we have. Harry I need you to send Minerva a patronus tell her that she is not on the map and to meet us at the Room of Requirement. She has to be there."  
I sprinted as fast as I could to the Room of Requirement, and I walked past the entrance three times thinking, I need a place to hide. The door revealed itself, and sure enough there in front of me sat Hermione. I saw in her right hand a blade, and on her left arm were two different red lines.  
"Hermione?"  
"Professor Lupin? What are you doing here?"  
"The question Hermione is what are you doing here? I am here searching for you. Your grandmother has the entire staff searching the castle top to bottom for you. She asked me to come help because I am able to track scents. Everyone in the castle is worried about you right now. Can you talk to me, or Severus? We don't want to see you like this. We care a lot about you."  
"They are tracking everything I do. This necklace is charmed so that only my grandmother can remove it. This necklace will alert her if I hurt myself intentionally. I just hate that they are babying me."  
"Hermione, perhaps they have a reason? If you are hurting yourself, they should be concerned. Do you know how many people it would hurt if you accidentally cut a vein and ended up dead? It would kill your grandmother; you have no idea how much joy you bring her. She needs you in her life. You are not a burden to her. You are the only family she knows. Please Hermione, just consider accepting help. By accepting her help with your recovery, you will help her to feel as if she did something right. I am not saying that she is right, but I am saying that you both need each other to heal. She has bottled so much up inside for so long. Have you ever noticed the distance that she keeps from her students? She doesn't want to get hurt again. She gave up her only child. Can you imagine giving up the child that you carried with you for nine months? If I am not mistaken, it crushed her. Please Hermione, just consider giving your grandmother another chance. Okay?"


End file.
